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Seattle--Topical application of synthesized male pheromones increases the sexual attractiveness of men to their partners, according to Pennsylvania researchers.

The odorless, clear alcohol-based liquid(click for product details) contains a chemical copy of "the natural substance given off by healthy virile men in their 20s that makes them so attractive to women," said researcher Winnifred Cutler, Ph.D., president of the Athena Institute for Women's Wellness in Haverford, PA {now Chester Springs, PA} .

In a study of 38 men, those who added the new pheromone to their own aftershave for eight weeks reported that they were busier sexually--engaging in significantly more hugging, kissing and sexual intercourse with their female partners--than before the study, the Pennsylvania researcher reported at the annual meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Those who added a placebo to their aftershave reported no change in their sex lives, she said.

Masturbation rates in the two groups were similar, indicating that the product works by attracting women, not by increasing a man's sex drive, Dr. Cutler added.

The pheromone is thought to work by stimulating fine nerves in the back of the nose that are linked to sexual response, she said.

"The new cologne increases romance and love, and all that comes with it," she said. "Studies have shown that sex with a regular partner makes a woman more fertile, and that regular sex delays the aging process, while increasing self-esteem," Dr. Cutler said.

Alan DeCherney, M.D., chairman of ob-gyn at Tufts University in Boston, hailed the new product. "It's good to have a product that increases romantic attractiveness," he said.

In the new study, 38 men added a few drops of either the pheromone-alcohol solution or alcohol alone to their usual aftershave for eight weeks.

None of the men knew what they were getting; they were told only that they "were testing a product designed to improve the romance in their lives," Dr. Cutler reported.

The men all kept a diary of their sexual activities, which were compared with their sex lives before the study began.

Eight weeks later, 47% of the men using the pheromone reported that they engaged in more sexual intercourse since using the cologne, compared with 9.5% of the placebo users.

Thirty-five percent of pheromone users reported they slept with women more often, compared with 5% of placebo users, she said.

But equal numbers of men in both groups reported they were masturbating more, Cutler said.

A similar product for women has been available for the past three years, Cutler said.

Many doctors are beginning to order the female product for their hysterectomized patients (click for more hysterectomy research), she said. "When a female monkey is hysterectomized, the males who had been working to get access to her lose interest."

"But when the pheromone is put near her sexual organs, the male monkey's interest returns," she said.

While there have been no controlled trials in humans yet, it appears that hysterectomized women who put a few drops of the cologne under their nose "regain their attractiveness to men," she said.

The two pheromone-alcohol solutions come in small vials. Men add a few drops to their regular aftershave. To order the products (click here) call {610- 827-2200}

COMMENT FROM ATHENA INSTITUTE: Both Athena Pheromone 10:13^tm for women and Athena Pheromone 10X^tm for men are cosmetics that can increase your attractiveness to the opposite sex. Neither product is an “aphrodisiac.”