A surprising cure for women's depression
Richard Starnes
Vancouver Sun
Thursday, June 27, 2002
Imagine this conversation in homes across Canada.
"Hi, honey, feeling depressed? I've just heard of a major study about the perfect medicine to give you a lift. It's my semen."
Don't laugh. Psychologist Gordon Gallup and his team at the State University of New York have come to the conclusion that women directly exposed to semen are significantly less depressed than those who are not.
Previous studies have shown semen contains mood-altering hormones including testosterone and estrogen. Gallup and his colleagues believe these hormones are absorbed through the vagina and help wash away the blues.
In the study, 293 college females from State University filled questionnaires measuring their sexual behaviour. Among other things, they revealed how often they had intercourse, the number of days since they last had sex and whether or not they use condoms.
Researchers also assessed each woman's happiness using the Beck Depression Inventory, a widely recognized system for assessing mood in which a core of 17 indicates moderate depression.
The study showed that women who never use condoms scored eight, those who usually use them scored 15, those who always use them scored 11.3 and those having no sex at all scored 13.5.
Gallup, who says he already has an unpublished wider study of 700 women confirming his results, says his group looked at a number of alternative explanations for the difference.
They considered how often the women had sex; who took oral contraceptives among those who seldom use condoms; whether a woman's personality influenced her decision to use a condom; and the strength of their relationships.
None of the alternatives could explain their conclusions, Mr. Gallup reveals in the latest issue of New Scientist magazine.
Gallup said the claim that semen carries happy fluid was further enhanced by clear indications that the no-condom group became increasingly depressed the longer they went without sex.
Whatever the results, Gallup had a serious warning. Women should not believe he was suggesting they abandon condoms. As he pointed out, an unwanted pregnancy is likely to be far more depressing than any beneficial effect semen may provide.
