Sperm Turned On By Lily of the Valley

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Oddly Enough - Reuters

Sperm Turned on by Lily of the Valley
Wed Apr 2, 9:16 AM ET

BERLIN (Reuters) - Human sperm become excited when exposed to the scent of lily of the valley, doubling their speed and homing in on the aroma, a German scientist said on Wednesday.

Hans Hatt, a biology professor at Ruhr University in Bochum, said knowledge about a newly discovered odor receptor on the sperm\'s surface could enable researchers to devise alternative contraception methods or ways to boost fertility.

\"This is the first time sperm has been shown to respond to smell,\" Hatt, who said the findings came after three years of study, told Reuters. \"The application of the substances in a salve to the vaginal area could raise the chance of conceiving.\"

He said receptors in the sperm\'s membranes are attracted to two chemical compounds, cyclamal and bourgeonal, used in the cosmetics industry to imitate the plant\'s smell.

Another compound, undecanal, was found to block the attraction and could be used for contraceptive ends, he added.

[TBiRD]

AWSOME !


Only one thing makes me wonder....WHY lily of the valley ?
I mean I have honestly searched many times - and IT DOESNT GROW between any ladies legs /ubbthreads/images/icons/wink.gif

Where the biological reason for that /ubbthreads/images/icons/wink.gif

Would also be interesting to know if the sperms receptor are only attracted to cyclamal and bourgeonal...or different (yet unknown) chemicals....

[DrSmellThis]

FTR, April Fool\'s is over. GROW UP.

OH OH! Lily of the valley is a primary flower in Amouage.

Just kidding. Fascinating stuff.

It\'s all about canals and valleys.

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\"I WON\'T grow up, I don\'t WANNA go to school...\" -- Peter Pan


Lily of the Valley is one of the most exhiliarating scents there is. I\'m betting guys have never smelled it as a single note floral because not that many people wear it anymore. There used to be a cologne called Muguet du Bois that was fairly popular but I haven\'t seen it in years now.


Just for the experience, guys, if you can, get some Caswell Massey Lily of the Valley shower gel and use that first thing in the morning one morning. I bet you\'ll see why sperm like it. It\'s heaven, that smell.


Shapes must have smells/smells = shape.


In the ongoing argument w/r/t sight v pheromones, this would seem to me to be significant.


Also interesting that it\'s the male part of the human equation that\'s doing the smelling/reacting to scent.

[bundyburger]

FTR - \"Shapes must have smells/smells = shape.
In the ongoing argument w/r/t sight v pheromones, this would seem to me to be significant.\"

I\'m still puzzled and extremely fascinated at a womens ability to zoom in on one person in a group from a distance who is emitting pheros etc.
I\'m often wondering wether there is a \"aura\" change or something that is picked up. I\'m aware that this may be a \"placebo\" effect on my body language, but sometimes that deosn\'t even seem \"it\".

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It\'s fascinating to think about, isn\'t it?

I wonder if the ovum has scent preferences. But she\'s just hanging out, keeping her own counsel, waiting for the guys to show, and she probably wouldn\'t tell you if you asked ... /ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif

[bundyburger]

I can see it now:: ( I seem to be saying that a lot lately . lol)

All the sperm are rushing toward the smell of the ovum. Then... all of a sudden they \"sense\" that the ovum wants \"Committment\" ( cuts to view of most of the sperm putting on the brakes and reversing. Frightened faces.) And one poor fella having too much momentum put the brakes on tooo late and slams in to the wall of the ovum. ....\" NNOOOOOOoooooooo!!!\" ...too late. /ubbthreads/images/icons/laugh.gif

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/ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif

[seadove]

I don\'t know if this is good news or bad news.I mean women want to concieve and have children, that\'s ok, but what about the other time when they only want to have sex for pleasure?/ubbthreads/images/icons/crazy.gif

I suppose the\'ll think of an Anti-something to neutralize the chances of pregnancy.

What a crazy world.

[MadDoctor]

> I\'m betting guys have never smelled it as a single note floral because not that many people wear it anymore.
\"Casanova almost fainted when he inhaled the musk worn by an old countess; during his era, the scent was associated with prostitutes and homosexuals.\"
Didn\'t you hear? Same thing happened with lily of the valley, people in third rate porn movies were applying it to their faces, which scared off everyone else.


/ubbthreads/images/icons/wink.gif

[Watcher]

So obviously couplins are the main compounds responsible in terms of actual female vaginal secretians and scents. Perhaps lilly of the valley imitates a similar scent.
Point that science guy in the direction of this forum for furhter information.

[MadDoctor]

Actually (from the original study) it looks as if they might ignore copulins, since the chemicals they\'re attracted to are supposed to be unique to the egg cell. I wasn\'t able to find anything on their molecular structure though, so I can\'t say for sure.

[DrSmellThis]

Have I smelled LOTV? It was my ex-girlfriend\'s favorite scent, unfortunately. It lends richness and complexity to a blend.