Chapter 10: Fertility, Contraception, and Abortion 

Remember POSM

Ovulatory Shift Hypothesis→ things change during ovulation to increase likelihood of conception with a mate with good genes

• Lap Dancers Study: Lap dancers earn more in tips during ovulation, less during less fertile times, an even less on their period (perceived as more sexy, or acting more sexy during ovulation)

• Face Study: composite faces from ovulation and less fertile times, found ovulating faces more attractive

• Raise in vocal pitch

• Study: Men rated scents of women’s shirts more pleasant and sexy during ovulation

  • Fill in the blank word association study, more access to sex cues after smelling ovulatory scent

• Women wear more revealing clothing during ovulation (and illustrate this same finding)

  • Also more likely to wear red (attention grabber linked to evolution)

• Shopping Study: During ovulation, women were either presented with a local rival or neutral person, then shopped online (shopping for sexier clothes when rival was present)

• Preference for short-term mating with highly masculine, confident men (indicates good genes), particularly if primary partner lacks ideal traits

• Increased libido during ovulation, but also avoidance of risky sexual situations and higher caution

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) → emotional and physical discomfort accompanying menstruation

PMDD → Premenstrual dysphoric disorder

Psychological Aspects:

• Life stress is related

• PMs symptoms may be learned by daughters from mothers through modeling “the sick role”

• CBT can improve both PMS and PMDD

Menopause → Permanent cessation of ovulation and menstruation (hormone therapy offered, but can cause cancer)

Contraception

Behavioral: Reduce risk by changing behavior

Barrier: Prevents sperm from entering

Hormonal: Blocking ovulation

Sterilization: higher rates of hysterectomies than vasectomies, however recovery process and reversibility easier for men

CREL: Condom related erection loss

Psychological Effects of Hormonal Contraception: Physical/emotional changes, altered sexual behaviors and minimization of ovulatory shift symptoms, changes in libido 

Abortion

• Planned pregnancy linked to better maternal health and psychosocial adjustment for family

• 30% of US women will have an abortion before age 45

Comstock Laws→ passed in 1870s, banned distribution of explicit pornographic material including contraceptive pamphlets and anatomy books

Margaret Sanger → founded what would become planned parenthood

Methods:

• Medication: like a period (7-9 weeks after last period), 2 drugs, expensive

• Surgical: Curette, majority, 11-12 weeks, vacuum to break up embryo/fetus

• Dilation and Evacuation → 2nd trimester

When: 18% of pregnancies in US will end in abortion, majority of people who have abortion haven’t had one before

• Effects: 72% satisfied with decision, those unsatisfied have a history of mental illness such as depression

• Picketers: cause anger and guilt, pro-choice escorts may buffer some of these effects

• Stigma: Study tracking abortion seekers of 5 years found that in the week after, majority felt their community looked down on them, and those who felt ostracized had a higher rate of regret or depression in the years to follow

Abortion Exceptions: Vague

• Prevent death of mother/risk to health of mother (doesn’t define threat to health: Mental & physical?), rape/incest (police have to document), lethal fetal anomaly (vague)