Correlation Between Semen And Lower Depression Levels

A study back in 2002 examined the connection between semen and depression. Psychologists from the State University of New York-Albany published research in the Archives Of Sexual Behavior that analyzed whether semen had any effects on stomping out depression. The study rested on the grounds of an earlier theory that noted that the hormones in semen may have a mood-boosting effect on women.

In February of 2011, Lazar Greenfield, the due president of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), authored a Valentine’s Day article on mating in Surgery News. In the article, Greenfield wrote about the sexual habits of a few different animals before going on to reference semen as a better gift for Valentine’s Day than chocolate.

Many ACS members were outraged at what they deemed sexist statements by Greenfield. In light of the controversy Greenfield resigned his post as editor of Surgery News and from the University of Michigan. Greenfield commented on his article in the Detroit Free Press, saying, "The editorial was a review of what I thought was some fascinating new findings related to semen, and the way in which nature is trying to promote a stronger bond between men and women."

Specifics Of The Study

In the 2002 study mentioned earlier, 293 college women were surveyed on their sexual habits and subjected to the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). It was found that women who frequently had unprotected sex were significantly less depressed than women that frequently used condoms and women that were sexually abstinent. There were no major differences between the women that had sex with condoms and those that were sexually abstinent, indicating that sexual activity was not the cause for the lower depression levels.

Gordon Gallup Jr., a psychologist at SUNY-Albany and lead author of the study, noted that semen evolved to aid males in the reproductive process, "If you begin to think about semen in those terms, then the fact that semen might have antidepressant properties becomes a lot more interesting in that it may promote bonding between the female and her sexual partner." This bonding relationship allows a male to form a close partnership with a reproductive partner and allows him to sexually reproduce more frequently.

Chemical Composition Of Semen

Semen is a smorgasbord of different chemical compounds. Sperm is only a very small percentage of semen. The rest of it is what’s known as seminal plasma and can sometimes pass through the vagina and be detected in the bloodstream after sex.

Estrogen and prostaglandins have both been found in semen and are linked to lower depression levels. Oxytocin is also found in semen and it has been connected to higher levels of social bonding.

Gallup thinks that the medicinal effects of semen are the underlying motivator behind some women’s desire to have sex, "I think there's reason to believe based on some of the evidence we've collected that females that are in committed relationships that are having unprotected sex may use sex in part to self-medicate." Gallup also notes that, remarkably, it may be possible for some women to experience semen withdrawal.

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