Being nearby breastfeeding mothers can modify the length of other women's menstrual cycles, say researchers.Chemicals called pheromones given off by the mother - or their infants - made the cycles significantly longer or shorter, claims Dr.Mclintock lead researcher, from Ohio University.
She suggests this is due to the body attempting to maximise its chances of fertility as part of a human's desire to raise children in social surroundings.In the latest research, 30 beastfeeding women wore absorbent pads in their armpits and under their nursing bras.Volunteers were then asked to rub the pads under their noses four times a day for two to three months.The results showed that the length of women's menstrual cycles moved towards extremes after taking in the pheromones - short cycles became significantly shorter, long cycles significantly longer.And she added that the time from the start of the cycle to ovulation, which is not usually shorter than five days, was less than this amount of time in a third of the women who took in the pheromones.
