New publications
Contraceptives provoke women to cheat
Last reviewed: 30.06.2025

All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.

Contraceptive pills can significantly change long-term relationships between partners, say scientists from the University of Stirling in the UK, conducting a study in which about 2,000 women aged 35-37 from America, England and the Czech Republic took part.
Scientists compared two categories of women: those who take contraceptives and those who do not. It turned out that women from the first group are sexually dissatisfied compared to the second group of women, however, they are happier in areas that do not concern sexual relations.
The researchers noted that starting a relationship while the woman was taking contraceptives brought more emotional happiness to the couple, and the relationship lasted an average of 2 years longer than couples where the woman was not taking contraceptives. However, in these cases, the breakup was most often initiated by the woman herself, as sexual dissatisfaction outweighed all other emotional benefits, forcing the woman to choose another partner.
When taking birth control pills, a woman is in a state of "permanent pregnancy" so she seeks a genetically similar partner, unlike women who do not use hormonal contraception, who seek to find a sexual partner who is not similar in genetic parameters in order to have genetically stable and healthy offspring.
Scientists emphasize that the results of this study show only certain statistical trends and should not be interpreted as a guide to action, since the relationship between a woman and a man is a much more complex process.