Female Adaptations to Ovulation

Abstract

Previously, it has been argued that women would not benefit from advertising their fertility status for several reasons, such as the possibility that advertising high conception risk may lead to unwanted male attention that could constrain female choice (Gangestad & Thomhill, 2008; Thomhill & Gangestad, 2008). However, because women are more attractive, appear more sexually motivated, and increase their preferences for putative cues to male genetic quality around ovulation and because men appear capable of detecting these subtle cues to ovulation, it is evident that ovulation is not entirely concealed. This has led some to speculate that women have evolved to conceal cues to ovulation but that men have simultaneously evolved lo detect ovulation (Gangestad & Thomhill, 2008; Haselton & Gildersleeve, 2011; Thomhill & Gangestad, 2008). This view stipulates that the existing signs of approaching ovulation are not shaped by selection but leak out despite female selection to conceal them. Alternatively, it is possible that selection favored cues that are subtle enough to allow women to avoid unwanted male attention but that also allow them to attract attention from desired mates at opportune times. Behavioral cues could be especially easily directed toward desired mates. This would provide women with clear reproductive advantages and may also benefit male partners, who may be more likely than other men to detect these fertility-related changes in their partners (Hasellon & Gildersleeve, 2011) and may engage in tactics designed to reduce the risk of cuckoldry (Gangestad et al., 2002; Hasellon & Gangestad, 2006; Pillsworth & Haselton, 2006). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)