Data from 1155 Czech women (493 using oral contraception, 662 non-users), obtained from the Czech National Survey of Sexual Behavior, were used to investigate evolutionary-based hypotheses concerning the predictive value of current oral contraceptive (OC) use on extra-pair and dyadic (in-pair) sexual behavior of coupled women. Specifically, the aim was to determine whether current OC use was associated with lower extra-pair and higher in-pair sexual interest and behavior, because OC use suppresses cyclical shifts in mating psychology that occur in normally cycling women. Zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP) regression and negative binomial models were used to test associations between OC use and these sexual measures, controlling for other relevant predictors (e.g., age, parity, in-pair sexual satisfaction, relationship length). The overall incidence of having had an extra-pair partner or one-night stand in the previous year was not related to current OC use (the majority of the sample had not). However, among the women who had engaged in extra-pair sexual behavior, OC users had fewer one-night stands than non-users, and tended to have fewer partners, than non-users. OC users also had more frequent dyadic intercourse than non-users, potentially indicating higher commitment to their current relationship. These results suggest that suppression of fertility through OC use may alter important aspects of female sexual behavior, with potential implications for relationship functioning and stability.

1st Faculty of Medicine Charles University Prague Czech Republic

Faculty of Humanities Charles University Prague Czech Republic

Faculty of Science Charles University Prague Czech Republic

Institute of Human Sciences Aberystwyth University Aberystwyth United Kingdom

School of Natural Sciences University of Stirling Stirling United Kingdom

Zobrazit více v PubMed

Alvergne A., and Lummaa V. (2010). Does the contraceptive pill alter mate choice in humans? Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 25, 171–179. PubMed

Baker R. R., and Bellis M. A. (1995). Human sperm competition: Copulation, masturbation and infidelity. London: Chapman and Hall.

Bartz D., Shew M., Ofner S., and Fortenberry J. D. (2007). Pregnancy intentions and contraceptive behaviour among adolescent women: A coital event level analysis. Journal of Adolescent Health, 41, 271–276. PubMed

Blow A. J., and Hartnett K. (2005). Infidelity in committed relationships I: A methodological review. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 31, 183–216. PubMed

Brody S., and Costa R.M. (2009). Satisfaction (sexual, life, relationship, and mental health) is associated directly with penile-vaginal intercourse, but inversely with other sexual behaviour frequencies. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 6, 1947–1954. PubMed

Brown S. L., Fredrickson B. L., Wirth M. M., Poulin M. J., Meier E. A., Heaphy E. D. and Schultheiss O. C. (2009). Social closeness increases salivary progesterone in humans. Hormones and Behavior, 56, 108–111. PubMed PMC

Bullivant S. B., Sellergren S. A., Stern K., Spencer N. A., Jacob S., Mennella J. A., and McClintock M. K. (2004). Women's sexual desire during the menstrual cycle: Identification of the sexual phase by noninvasive measurement of luteinizing hormone. Journal of Sex Research, 41, 82–93. PubMed

Buss D. M. (1988). From vigilance to violence: Tactics of mate retention in American undergraduates. Ethology and Sociobiology, 9, 291–317.

Byers S. E. (2002). Evidence for the importance of relationship satisfaction for women's sexual functioning. Women and Therapy, 24, 23–26.

Cameron C., and Trivedi P. K. (1986). Econometric models based on count data: Comparisons and applications of some estimators and tests. Journal of Applied Econometrics, 1, 29–54.

Cobey K. D., and Buunk A. P. (2013). Conducting high quality research on the impact of oral contraceptive use. Contraception, 86, 330–331. PubMed

Cobey K. D., Buunk A. P., Roberts S. C., Klipping C., Appels N., Zimmerman Y. and Pollet T. V. (2012). Reported jealousy differs as a function of menstrual cycle stage and contraceptive pill use: A within-subjects investigation. Evolution and Human Behavior, 22, 395–401.

Cobey K. D., Pollet T. V., Roberts S. C., and Buunk A. P. (2011). Hormonal birth control use and relationship jealousy: Evidence for estrogen dosage effects. Personality and Individual Differences, 50, 315–317.

Czech National Office (1991). Sčítání lidu, domů a bytů 1991 – Pramenné dílo. [Population and Housing Census 1991]. Retrieved December 14, 2013, from http://www.czso.cz/sldb2011/redakce.nsf/i/pramenne_dilo_1991

Czech National Office (2001). Basic final results of the Population and Housing Census. Retrieved December 14, 2013, from http://www.czso.cz/sldb2011/eng/redakce.nsf/i/preliminary_results_of_the_2011_population_and_housing_census

Diamond M., Jozifkova E., and Weiss P. (2011). Pornography and sex crimes in the Czech Republic. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 40, 1037–1043. PubMed

Durante K. M., and Li N. P. (2009). Oestradiol level and opportunistic mating in women. Biology Letters, 5, 179–182. PubMed PMC

ESHRE Capri Workshop Group. (2005). Non contraceptive health benefits of combined oral contraception. Human Reproduction Update, 11, 513–525. PubMed

Fait T. (2011). Combined hormone contraceptive choice experience in Czech Republic. Central European Journal of Medicine, 6, 582–587.

Feinberg D. R., DeBruine L. M., Jones B. C., and Little A.C. (2008). Correlated preferences for men's facial and vocal masculinity. Evolution and Human Behavior, 29, 233–241.

Frye C. A. (2006). An overview of oral contraceptives: Mechanism of action and clinical use. Neurology, 66, 29–36. PubMed

Gangestad S. W., Garver-Apgar C. E., Simpson J. A., and Cousins A. J. (2007). Changes in women's mate preferences across the ovulatory cycle. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92, 151–163. PubMed

Gangestad S. W., and Thornhill R. (2008). Human oestrus. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 275, 991–1000. PubMed PMC

Gangestad S. W., Thornhill R., and Garver C. E. (2002). Changes in women's sexual interests and their partners' mate-retention tactics across the menstrual cycle: Evidence for shifting conflicts of interest. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 269, 975–982. PubMed PMC

Garver-Apgar C. E., Gangestad S. W., Thornhill R., Miller R. D., and Olp J. (2006). MHC alleles, sexual responsivity, and unfaithfulness in romantic couples. Psychological Science, 17, 830–835. PubMed

Geary D. C., DeSoto M. C., Hoard M. K., Sheldon M. S., and Cooper M. L. (2001). Estrogens and relationship jealousy. Human Nature, 12, 299–320. PubMed

Glass S. P., and Wright T. L. (1992). Justifications for extramarital relationships: The association between attitudes, behaviors, and gender. Journal of Sex Research, 29, 361–387.

Guéguen N. (2009). Menstrual cycle phases and female receptivity to a courtship solicitation: An evaluation in a nightclub. Evolution and Human Behavior, 30, 351–355.

Haavio-Mannila E., and Kontula O. (1992). Finnish sex survey 1992. Helsinki: National Agency for Welfare and Health and Helsinki: Academy of Finland.

Haselton M. G., and Gangestad S. W. (2006). Conditional expression of women's desires and men's mate guarding across the ovulatory cycle. Hormones and Behavior, 49, 509–518. PubMed

Hausman J., Hall B. H., and Griliches Z. (1984). Econometric models for count data with an application to the patents-R & D relationship. Econometrica, 52, 909–938.

Havlicek J., Husarova B., Rezacova V., and Klapilova K. (2011). Correlates of extra-dyadic sex in Czech heterosexual couples: Does sexual behavior of parents matter? Archives of Sexual Behavior, 40, 1153–1163. PubMed

Jackman S. (2012). pscl: Classes and Methods for R Developed in the Political Science Computational Laboratory, Stanford: Stanford University, Department of Political Science. Retrieved December 13, 2013 from http://pscl.stanford.edu/

Jones B. C., Little A. C., Boothroyd L., DeBruine L. M., Feinberg D. R., Law Smith M. J., and Perrett D. I. (2005). Commitment to relationships and preferences for femininity and apparent health in faces are strongest on days of the menstrual cycle when progesterone level is high. Hormones and Behavior, 48, 283–290. PubMed

Jones B. C., Perrett D. I., Little A. C., Boothroyd L., Cornwell R. E., Feinberg D. R. and Moore F. R. (2005). Menstrual cycle, pregnancy and oral contraceptive use alter attraction to apparent health in faces. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 272, 347–354. PubMed PMC

Laeng B., and Falkenberg L. (2007). Women's pupillary responses to sexually significant others during the hormonal cycle. Hormones and Behavior, 52, 520–530. PubMed

Lambert D. (1992). Zero-inflated Poisson regression, with an application to defects in manufacturing. Technometrics, 34, 1–14.

Larson C. M., Haselton M. G., Gildersleeve K. A., and Pillsworth E. G. (2013). Changes in women's feelings about their romantic relationships across the ovulatory cycle. Hormones and Behavior, 63, 128–135. PubMed

Leridon H. (2006). Demographic effects of the introduction of steroid contraception in developed countries. Human Reproduction Update, 12, 603–616. PubMed

Little A. C., Jones B. C., Penton-Voak I. S., Burt D. M., and Perrett D. I. (2002). Partnership status and the temporal context of relationships influence human female preferences for sexual dimorphism in male face shape. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 269, 1095–1100. PubMed PMC

Mark P. K., Janssen E., and Milhausen R. R. (2011). Infidelity in heterosexual couples: Demographic, interpersonal, and personality-related predictors of extradyadic sex. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 40, 971–982. PubMed

McCullagh P., and Nelder J. A. (1989). Generalized linear models (2nd ed.). London: Chapman and Hall.

Moser C. A., and Kalton G. (1971). Survey methods in social investigation. New York: Basic.

Oddens B. J. (1999). Women's satisfaction with birth control: A population survey of physical and psychological effects of oral contraceptives, intrauterine devices, condoms, natural family planning, and sterilization among 1466 women. Contraception, 59, 277–286. PubMed

Ott M. A., Shew M. L., Ofner S., Tu W., and Fortenberry J. D. (2008). The influence of hormonal contraception on mood and sexual interest among adolescents. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 37, 605–613. PubMed PMC

Owen J. J., Rhoades G. K., Stanley S. M., and Fincham F. D. (2010). “Hooking up” among college students: Demographic and psychosocial correlates. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 39, 653–663. PubMed

Palacios S., Henderson V. W., Siseles N., Tan D., and Villaseca P. (2010). Age of menopause and impact of climacteric symptoms by geographical region. Climacteric, 13, 419–428. PubMed

Penke L., and Asendorpf J. (2008). Beyond global sociosexual orientations: A more differentiated look at sociosexuality and its effects on courtship and romantic relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95, 1113–1135. PubMed

Pillsworth E. G., and Haselton M. G. (2006). Male sexual attractiveness predicts differential ovulatory shifts in female extra-pair attraction and male mate retention. Evolution and Human Behavior, 27, 247–258.

Pillsworth E. G., Haselton M. G., and Buss D. M. (2004). Ovulatory shifts in female sexual desire. Journal of Sex Research, 41, 55–65. PubMed

R Development Core Team (2008) R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing. Vienna. Retrieved December 13, 2008 from http://www.R-project.org

Raboch J., Jr., Raboch J., and Sindlár M. (1996). Sexual development of Czech girls before and after November 1989. Časopis Lékařů Českých, 135, 71–73. PubMed

Roberts S. C., Cobey K. D., Klapilová K., and Havlíček J. (2013). An evolutionary approach offers a fresh perspective on the relationship between oral contraception and sexual desire. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 42, 1369–1375. PubMed

Roberts S. C., Gosling L. M., Carter V., and Petrie M. (2008). MHC-correlated odour preferences in humans and the use of oral contraceptives. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 275, 2715–2722. PubMed PMC

Roberts S. C., Klapilová K., Little A. C., Burriss R. P., Jones B.C., DeBruine L. M. and Havlíček J. (2012). Relationship satisfaction and outcome in women who meet their partner while using oral contraception. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 279, 1430–1436. PubMed PMC

Roney J. R., and Simmons Z. L. (2013). Hormonal predictors of sexual motivation in natural menstrual cycles. Hormones and Behavior, 63, 636–645. PubMed

Rosen M. L., and Lopéz H. H. (2009). Menstrual cycle shifts in attentional bias for courtship language. Evolution and Human Behavior, 30, 131–140.

Sanders S. A., Graham C. A., Bass J. L., and Bancroft J. (2001). A prospective study of the effects of oral contraceptives on sexuality and well-being and their relationship to discontinuation. Contraception, 64, 51–58. PubMed

Schaffir J. (2006). Hormonal contraception and sexual desire: A critical review. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 32, 305–314. PubMed

Scheib J. E. (2001). Context-specific mate choice criteria: Women's trade-offs in the contexts of long-term and extra pair mateships. Personal Relationships, 8, 371–389.

Schneidewind-Skibbe A., Hayes R. D., Koochaki P. E., Meyer J., and Dennerstein L. (2008). The frequency of sexual intercourse reported by women: A review of community-based studies and factors limiting their conclusions. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 5, 301–335. PubMed

Simpson J. A., and Gangestad S. W. (1991). Individual differences in sociosexuality: Evidence for convergent and discriminant validity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60, 870–883. PubMed

Slob A. K., Bax C. M., Hop W. C. J., Rowland D. L., and van der Werff ten Bosch J. J. (1996). Sexual arousability and the menstrual cycle. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 21, 545–558. PubMed

Solstad K., and Mucic D. (1999). Extramarital sexual relationships of middle-aged Danish men: Attitudes and behavior. Maturitas, 32, 51–59. PubMed

Stuckey B. C. A. (2008). Female sexual function and dysfunction in the reproductive years: The influence of endogenous and exogenous sex hormones. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 5, 2282–2290. PubMed

Sturman M. C. (1999). Multiple approaches to analyzing count data in studies of individual differences: The propensity for type I errors, illustrated with the case of absenteeism prediction. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 59, 414–430.

Thornhill R., and Gangestad S. W. (1999). The scent of symmetry: A human sex pheromone that signals fitness? Evolution and Human Behavior, 20, 175–201.

Treas J., and Giesen D. (2000). Sexual infidelity among married and cohabiting Americans. Journal of Marriage and Family, 62, 48–60.

Vuong Q. H. (1989). Likelihood ratio tests for model selection and non-nested hypotheses. Econometrica, 57, 307–333.

Weiss P., and Zvěřina J. (1999). Sexuální chování obyvatel České Republiky. Výsledky národního průzkumu [Sexual behavior in Czech Republic. National survey]. Praha: Alberta Plus.

Weiss P., and Zvěřina J. (2001). Sexuální chování v ČR- situace a trendy [Sexual behavior in CR - Current situation and trends]. Praha: Portál.

Weiss P., and Zvěřina J. (2003). Sexuální chování obyvatel ČR III [Sexual behavior of Czech citizens III]. Praha: Dema.

Welling L. L. M., Puts D. A., Roberts S. C., Little A. C., and Burriss R. P. (2012). Hormonal contraceptive use and mate retention behavior in women and their male partners. Hormones and Behavior, 61, 114–120. PubMed

Wilcox A. J., Baird D. D., Dunson D. B., McConnaughey D. R., Kesner J. S., and Weinberg C. R. (2004). On the frequency of intercourse around ovulation: Evidence for biological influences. Human Reproduction, 19, 1539–1543. PubMed