Pheromones: Scented

Romantic attention, especially the casual, subtle, seductive kind that hints of physical attraction, can do lots to enhance a woman’s well-being at any age. So with that in mind, women often wonder what in the world makes so many of us begin to feel a kind of sexual invisibility set in by the time we reach the age of  50 or so. And while lots of us escape this odd experience entirely, it does seem to me that this feeling of becoming invisible is fairly common among older women. As we go about the natural, beautiful and empowering process of growing into our mature selves, often men seem to look right past us, or worse, right through us, as if our material sexual selves simply no longer exist.

Needless to say, even the most positive self image isn’t always enough to counteract the potentially daunting notions of inadequacy that can accompany this feeling. And so for those of us who wonder why this whole, weird, later-in-life sexual invisibility thing takes place, I mention the fascinating work of some really smart women like Dr.Winnifred Cutler of the Athena Institute for Women’s Wellness. “Sometime after 40, women do report becoming ‘invisible’ to men,” she says. “Although the exact age seems to vary, pheromone changes around menopause seem to increase that sense of invisibility.”

All very compelling, right? But what the heck is a pheromone? I’m glad you asked. An integral part of evolution and species' survival, pheromones are chemical substances excreted by animals and detected by special receptors in the noses of animals of the same species. Whether we’re talking about bugs or birds or people, pheromones are responsible for enhancing physical attraction for the purpose of mating, of course. And wouldn’t you know it? As our pheromone levels naturally decrease with age, some of our ability to activate “desire” in males tends to decrease as well.

So there you have it. Postmenopausal sexual invisibility explained! Interestingly enough, however, researchers have been working for over a decade on all sorts of pheromone replacements for women, some that you can actually dab on like perfume, thereby giving women the option of increasing the levels of attention and affection that they receive from the men around them. Ah, the wonders of science...! 

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/neilmoralee/6999807533/">Neil. Moralee</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">cc</a>