Do fathers-to-be experience hormone changes during their wifes pregnancy?
Amazingly, they do. Have some pickles and ice cream, Dad. Canadian researchers say just as a woman’s hormone levels change during her pregnancy, so do the male hormone levels of her mate. According to lead researcher Katherine E. Wynne-Edwards of Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, average testosterone levels were significantly lower in 13 expectant fathers compared to 14 guys who had no children. Testosterone levels began to rise in the new dads soon after their wives gave birth, she said, but remained lower than in guys who did not have children. More soon-to-be dads had detectable amounts of estrogen, the female sex hormone, in their saliva than did men whose partners were not expecting. Estrogen levels rose after the birth of their child, Wynne-Edwards said.
