University of Michigan, Department of Psychology, United States of America.
Michigan State University, Department of Psychology, United States of America.
Horm Behav. 2020 Sep;125:104823. doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104823. Epub 2020 Aug 21.
During the transition to parenthood (TTP), both women and men report declines in sexual desire, which are thought to reflect an evolutionarily adaptive focus on parenting over mating. New parents also show changes in testosterone, a steroid hormone implicated in both parenting and mating, suggesting that changes in sexual desire may be associated with changes in testosterone. To test these associations, we followed a sample of heterosexual couples expecting their first child across the prenatal period. We examined prenatal changes in testosterone and two forms of sexual desire (solitary, dyadic). Expectant mothers showed prenatal increases in testosterone, and women's higher testosterone was associated with lower dyadic desire. Expectant fathers showed prenatal decreases in testosterone, and declines in men's testosterone were associated with lower dyadic desire. Testosterone was unrelated to men's or women's solitary desire. Our findings provide support for the idea that prenatal changes in testosterone contribute to an evolutionarily adaptive focus on parenting over mating during the TTP.
在为人父母的过渡阶段（TTP），女性和男性都报告性欲下降，这被认为反映了一种进化上适应的关注养育而不是交配的倾向。新父母的睾丸激素也会发生变化，睾丸激素是一种与养育和交配都有关的类固醇激素，这表明性欲的变化可能与睾丸激素的变化有关。为了检验这些关联，我们对一群期待他们第一个孩子的异性恋夫妇进行了跟踪调查，横跨产前阶段。我们研究了产前睾丸激素和两种形式的性欲（独身、对偶）的变化。预期中的母亲在产前睾丸激素水平升高，而女性睾丸激素水平升高与对偶欲望降低有关。预期中的父亲在产前睾丸激素水平下降，而男性睾丸激素水平下降与对偶欲望降低有关。睾丸激素与男性或女性的独身欲望无关。我们的研究结果为以下观点提供了支持，即产前睾丸激素的变化有助于在 TTP 期间将进化上适应的注意力从交配转移到养育上。
