Semen an antidepressant?!

[exitwound]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...=pubmed_docsum

Gallup GG Jr, Burch RL, Platek SM.
Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Albany, Albany, New York, USA. gallup@csc.albany.edu

*In a sample of sexually active college females, condom use, as an indirect measure of the presence of semen in the reproductive tract, was related to scores on the Beck Depression Inventory.

Not only were females who were having sex without condoms less depressed, but depressive symptoms and suicide attempts among females who used condoms were proportional to the consistency of condom use. For females who did not use condoms, depression scores went up as the amount of time since their last sexual encounter increased.

These data are consistent with the possibility that semen may antagonize depressive symptoms and evidence which shows that the vagina absorbs a number of components of semen that can be detected in the bloodstream within a few hours of administration.

*PMID: 12049024 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

[exitwound]

Weird, eh?

Personally I think that this is most likely another one of those scientific myopias -- that is, scientists seeing an effect as a cause, or neglecting to look at the whole picture in favor of some small aspect of something which is often not really responsible for the observed phenomena. For example, a study which suggests that people who own guns are more likely to die because of the gun ownership -- instead of considering the distinct possibility that people who are at higher risk of dying from violence in the first place, are more likely to own guns because they are aware of that risk.

In this case, one has to wonder -- is semen really responsible at all for this effect, or is it simply because the women who are having unprotected sex are more likely to be happier in general, due to the sex and the fact that generally, people who are unhappy with their partners or their sex lives (and indeed their lives in general) would tend to be condom users?

Seems like a chicken and the egg thing to me. Then again, it sure would be a great excuse to have lots of unprotected sex with unhappy beautiful women, LOL

[short_circuit]

Does it work orally? lol Well! not all women can take the pill and they don't want to have loads of babies. Is it back to the testing, they have not tested for that yet?

no thanks....i'll stick to whiskey.

[exitwound]

Originally Posted by Nyar

no thanks....i'll stick to whiskey.

One bourbon....one "shot"....and one kitten.

Originally Posted by exitwound

One bourbon....one "shot"....and one kitten.

charlie is sick.....this will be his first vet visit since i got him. I hope im just paranoid.....

[exitwound]

Originally Posted by Nyar

charlie is sick.....this will be his first vet visit since i got him. I hope im just paranoid.....

Shit man, that's not what I was hoping to hear! But you will have the thoughts, prayers & psychic support, FWIW, of a whole lot of people. And animals, if I could actually succeed and making my cats understand that one of their own could sure use some extra karma right about now.....

Either way, I know that you've given him a quality of life that is way above & beyond what most animals, even domesticated ones, ever get to experience. And I know that you'll do whatever you can for him, regardless of what's happening.....so although the "semen is an antidepressant" thread isn't exactly the right place for me to talk and emote at great length about this, I will definitely say that he's a lucky little creature no matter what comes, and beyond that I can only pray fervently for his good health for years to come.....

[al_gy]

Originally Posted by exitwound

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...=pubmed_docsum

Gallup GG Jr, Burch RL, Platek SM.
Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Albany, Albany, New York, USA. gallup@csc.albany.edu

*In a sample of sexually active college females, condom use, as an indirect measure of the presence of semen in the reproductive tract, was related to scores on the Beck Depression Inventory.

Not only were females who were having sex without condoms less depressed, but depressive symptoms and suicide attempts among females who used condoms were proportional to the consistency of condom use. For females who did not use condoms, depression scores went up as the amount of time since their last sexual encounter increased.

These data are consistent with the possibility that semen may antagonize depressive symptoms and evidence which shows that the vagina absorbs a number of components of semen that can be detected in the bloodstream within a few hours of administration.

*PMID: 12049024 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

no wonder I always get a headache after, ........