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Study

Pill Users Less Sexually Satisfied but Happier Overall with Relationships

C. Price

Written by: C. Price

C. Price

C. Price is part of DatingAdvice.com's content team. She writes advice articles, how-to guides, and studies — all relating to dating, relationships, love, sex, and more.

Edited by: Lillian Castro

Lillian Castro

Lillian Guevara-Castro brings more than 30 years of journalism experience to ensure DatingAdvice articles have been edited for overall clarity, accuracy, and reader engagement. She has worked at The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, The Gwinnett Daily News, and The Gainesville Sun covering lifestyle topics.

Reviewed by: Amber Brooks

Amber Brooks

Amber Brooks is the Editor-in-Chief at DatingAdvice.com. When she was growing up, her family teased her for being "boy crazy," but she preferred to think of herself as a budding dating and relationship expert. As an English major at the University of Florida, Amber honed her communication skills to write clearly, knowledgeably, and passionately about a variety of subjects. Now with over 1,800 lifestyle articles to her name, Amber brings her tireless wit and relatable experiences to DatingAdvice.com. She has been quoted as a dating expert by The Washington Times, Cosmopolitan, The New York Post, Bustle, Salon, Well+Good, and AskMen.

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Taking the pill may affect a woman’s relationship in unexpected ways, according to academic research.

The study, which consisted of nearly 2,000 participants, found women who are on the pill are less sexually satisfied but are happier overall in their relationships.

Lead author Craig Roberts, of the University of Stirling in the U.K., found women who were on the pill when they met their partner reported greater emotional and financial satisfaction but reported increasing levels of sexual dissatisfaction as their relationship progressed.

“Women on the pill reported greater emotional

satisfaction but increasing sexual dissatisfaction.”

By contrast, women who weren’t on the pill when they met their partner maintained the same levels of sexual satisfaction throughout their relationship.

Researchers also found couples who met while the woman was on the pill were more likely to stay together, on average about two years longer, and the woman was more likely to initiate a breakup.

The study’s authors point to previous research and suggest these results come from hormonal changes associated with oral birth control, which may lead women to seek out genetically similar men.

“The biological mechanisms are almost certainly linked to hormones,” said researcher Lisa DeBruine, of the University of Aberdeen. “Hormones influence our bodies and behavior in many ways, so we’re still researching exactly how hormones affect mating behavior.”

From: LiveScience.com.