London - A woman being off her food could be a sign she is hungry for motherhood instead.
A study has found that women worry most about their weight when their chances of conception are highest.
Fears about appearing attractive at ovulation – as opposed to at other times in the month – drive them to eat less, according to the researchers.
The US study ties in with previous research that has found numerous subtle changes in female behaviour when fertility is high.
At this point in the month, a woman is more likely to dress fashionably, wear revealing clothing and have a roving eye. Even something about the way a woman walks changes, with men finding her gait more appealing when her odds of pregnancy are good.
These changes were thought to be driven by biology but the latest study suggests that some women are consciously making an effort to appear more attractive at certain times of the month.
In the first of three experiments, 22 young women were asked when their fertility was high, and again when it was low, how much weight they would like to lose.
The figure was bigger when they were fertile, the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin reports. A second study looked at a larger number of women, including some who were on the Pill. Once more, happiness with weight varied over the time – but only among those who weren’t taking the contraceptive. The Pill stops ovulation, so the findings suggest that when a woman isn’t taking it, monthly fluctuations in her hormones affect her happiness with her weight.
The final experiment suggested that more than hormones were at play. This time, married women were asked how worried they were about appearing attractive, as well as if they ate less, each day for 14 days.
The results showed a link between high fertility and calorie counting – but only among women worried about their appearance. The study’s authors, from the Southern Methodist University, in Dallas, said this suggested that women were conforming to the idea that thin is beautiful.
Researcher Andrea Meltzer said: “These findings illustrate that broader social norms that dictate that thin women are more attractive can play a role, in addition to physiological factors. Not only did the primary effect replicate across three independent studies, it emerged in two samples of undergraduate women from different universities and a sample of married women. It did not vary across participants’ weight, using two samples of women who had a normal weight on average and one sample of women who were overweight on average.”
Some other studies have also shown that women, and many female animals, eat less when fertility is high.
But the phenomenon had been attributed to their prioritising the hunt for a mate over their diet.
Dr Meltzer, a psychologist, said: “The current findings do not undermine that motivation. Instead, they suggest an additional reason why women may consume fewer calories near peak fertility: Increased motivations to be attractive interact with cultural standards regarding body attractiveness to make some women manage the attractiveness of their bodies.”
Dr Meltzer added that it was also possible that the opposite is true – that rather than cutting back when fertility is high, women are eating more when fertility is at its lowest and their period is due. However, she said she thought this was unlikely.
* Women who exercise during pregnancy are around a third less likely to develop gestational diabetes and put on less weight, a Spanish study has found. Gestational diabetes is a common complication affecting up to 18 in every 100 women giving birth in England and Wales. It is more prevalent among the obese.
It is associated with an increased risk of serious disorders such as pre-eclampsia and hypertension.
Daily Mail