Your hormones are swinging…………… leaving you a little unpredictable and moody.
Eish !
Take comfort, your hormones are not the only ones in flux.
Your about-2-be Dad, is also undergoing a little hormonal rearrangement.
It is just a little. But, it is real.
And unlike your hormones, which are rising into the stratosphere – his are losing ground.
Researchers from the University of Michigan have just demonstrated – Dad’s testosterone and estradiol levels, start dropping, long before junior arrives.
The hormones of pregnancy
The team tracked the hormone changes of 29 couples, both Mom’s AND Dad’s hormones were monitored, throughout the course of “their” first pregnancy. All the about-2-be parents were living together, most were married (90 %). To make sure the hormone changes being tracked, were “normal”, only “young & healthy” parents-2-be, were included in the study.
Around week 12, 21, 28 and 36, the couples visited the lab in the afternoon to be tested.
Lucky for them – the teams chose to measure hormone levels in their saliva. No needles !
On each occasion, two samples were taken, at 20 minute intervals.
Testosterone can’t handle the BUMP
The team tested the BIG FOUR hormones……… these hormones are known to rise, in Moms during pregnancy.
- Estradiol – which is associated with caregiving and bonding
- Progesterone – which is associated with social closeness and maternal behaviour
- Testosterone – which is associated with aggression
- Cortisol – which is a stress hormone
All the hormones skyrocketed in the ladies. No surprises here.
But, in the gents, the team found………………. testosterone and estradiol levels dipped.
The drop was pretty small, but there was no doubt about it – testosterone was “afraid” of the BUMP.
NOTE : Estradiol is made from testosterone – so less testosterone, probably has a knock on effect on estradiol levels.
Shaping a great Dad
A testosterone loaded JOCK, is great at getting the girl, but, once the girl has been won – which is the case, when junior is on the way……
Both Mom and baby, need a softer kind of man.
A man with BIG ARMS and a BIG HEART.
Dialling down testosterone helps dial down aggression. This makes Dad a little less interested in conquering the world – leaving him more focused on protecting his family.
Mother Nature’s parenting plan.
How does Mother Nature do it ?
The research team never explored how Mother Nature pulled it off !
Clearly there is no direct physical connection between the developing baby and Dad.
- Maybe the baby has super powers and is telepathically controlling Dad at a distance. Don’t rule it out, baby’s do seem to have superpowers.
- Maybe it stems from Mom’s behaviours. Less sex ? More cuddling ? Less sleep ?
- Maybe it is just a case of Dad coming to grips with the responsibilities of fatherhood.
The how will have to be something tackled in a future study.
What has been established……………………..a Dad-2-be undergoes hormonal changes, too.
Having a baby is definitely a life changing moment.
Further reading
What kind of a switch-athon did your Mom throw you ?
At the time of conception there is a big switch-athon, hundreds of genetic switches are flipped. That switch-athon depends on your Mom’s dietary habits.
Need help turning your MAN into A DAD ?
Mom’s are hormonally designed to be caring and Dad’s are, well MANLY. Actually, Mother Nature has made a plan to bring out the gentler side of things in Dads.
Psychosocial stress in pregnancy is knocking a few years off junior’s life expectancy
Every women wants things to go right during pregnancy, but stuff happens. Psychosocial stress in pregnancy shortens the life expectancy of the fetus.
If you are an expectant Mom or know someone that is – invite them to participate, so they can create Better Body Chemistry during their pregnancy and raise a HAPPY HEALTHY little one.