Breastfeeding seems to be orientated just towards the baby, but a team at the University of Chicago has found that pheromones related to breastfeeding boost sexual drive by almost 50 % in... other women!

It's like pheromones would signal to other women it's their turn to procreate. When detected, the chemicals 'responsible' for these effects may improve the sex life of women experiencing low sex drive.

The team investigated how sweat smell collected from the breast and armpits of breastfeeding mothers influenced young women subjects.

50% of the subjects had to wipe their upper lip with pads soaked in the sweat each morning and evening for three months. They had to do this also after showering, exercising and wiping their mouths after each meal. The other half received pads soaked in a placebo liquid. Subjects were not informed to which group the pads belonged.

The group of the sweat-soaked pads reported a libido increase by 42 %, while the single subjects experienced more erotic daydreams than they normally had. The rise was more significant for women during their fertility peak of the month or the lowest sex drive of the menstrual cycle. Oppositely, sex drive actually decreased in the case of the placebo group.

The team believes that the sweat-soaked pads expel pheromones, chemicals influencing unconsciously the behavior, including the sexual one. The pheromones of lactating women could signal to the others that there is plenty of food and chances of successfully raising a baby now are high. Scheduling the baby at the same time with another women could also lead to an easier common childcare. "If the key compounds in the sweat, breast milk and baby's saliva could be identified and bottled, they could be turned into a powerful aphrodisiac for women", wrote the authors.

"We found that being exposed to these chemicals sustained sexual desire during times in the cycle when it would normally be lower than other peak levels. It could be used for the treatment of disorders of desire. A lot of basic research would need to be done to identify the specific compounds involved. For men the major problem is erectile dysfunction (impotence) for which there is Viagra. But for women it is a disorder of desire and there isn't anything as effective.", said co-author Professor Martha McClintock.