Armpit smell could indicate female fertility

Daily Mail:

A woman's armpits reveal more about her than her brand of deodorant. Female armpit odour provides a tell-tale fertility signal to men, scientists have discovered.

At the most fertile time of her menstrual cycle, the smell is at its least intense and most attractive.

This changes to a more intense and repellent odour when a woman is having a period, and not ready for pregnancy.

The findings, published in the journal Ethanology, emerge from a study of 12 women not using hormonal contraceptives.

The women provided odour samples by wearing armpit pads for 24 hours, while being banned from using deodorants.

Sweaty pads were collected repeatedly during different phases of the menstrual cycle.

The samples were then sniffed by 42 men who were asked to assess their attractiveness and intensity.

Dr Jan Havlicek, from Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, who led the study, said: "Axillary odour from women in the follicular phase was rated as the most attractive and least intense.

"On the other hand, highest intensity and lowest attractiveness was found during the time of menstrual bleeding.

"The results suggest that body odour can be used by men as a cue to the fertile period in current or prospective sexual partners."

More evidence of how biology dictates human behavior.

Woman's scent can lure or repel