Can Men Really Smell When Women Are Most Fertile? New Study Finds Out

It has long been believed that males can tell by a woman's perfume when she is most fertile.

This idea, often referred to as the "femme fertile" phenomenon, suggested that women emitted a more attractive aroma during their peak fertility. Photo Credit: PNG Tree

Have you ever wondered whether attraction is more complex than first meets the eye—or rather, the nose? It has long been believed that males can tell by a woman’s perfume when she is most fertile. But is this really the situation?

The Age-Old Belief

It’s been a long-held belief that women smell more alluring when they are most fertile. A woman is most likely to conceive within this window of time, which is just before and during ovulation. It is suggested that men are attracted to this aroma even when they are not aware of it, which increases the likelihood of successful reproduction. However, what proportion of this is factual?

The New Study

Leipzig University researchers decided to test this theory. To rate the fragrances of 29 women between the ages of 20 and 30, they enlisted 91 men. The ladies had not used hormonal contraception for at least six months, were vegetarians or vegans, and did not smoke.

Using cotton pads under their armpits at different times during their menstrual cycles, the women’s fragrances were gathered. Next, the males assessed the intensity, pleasantness, and attractiveness of these smells.

The Surprising Results

Despite what the general public believes, the study found no connection between the women’s pleasant smell and conception. There was no discernible variation in the smell composition of women at different stages of fertility, according to chemical analysis.

The study, which was published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B journal, came to the conclusion that fertility has no bearing on men’s attraction to women’s body smell.

“Our results provide no evidence that males prefer the odour of fertile women. Furthermore, the volatile analysis indicated no link between axillary odour composition and current fertility status. Together, our results showed no convincing support for a chemical fertility cue in women’s axillary odour, questioning the presence of olfactory fertility information that is recognizable during first encounters in modern humans,” the researchers stated.

Contrasting Views

This result is in opposition to earlier research, including a study conducted at the University of Bern in Switzerland. According to that research, women who were most fertile smelt better because they had lower progesterone and greater oestrogen levels. Even more intriguingly, a 2016 study suggested that reproductive women seem more desirable to other women.