TAKING the contraceptive pill changes a woman’s taste in men, according to a team of British researchers. Psychologists have found the pill could even be responsible for tricking a woman into falling for the wrong man.

In a test in which women both on and off the pill were presented with images of different types of men, they found those taking the contraceptive were more likely to choose “macho” men as potential long-term companions. They were more attracted to the masculine features of big cheekbones, jaws and chin, and more likely to be turned off by those with more feminine physical features.

This is a reverse of the norm. Women who do not use the pill tend to pick more “sensitive” men with softer facial features when looking for a long-term companion. Such men might actually be more trustworthy and faithful husbands. Experts say the difference may be because women on the pill are not ovulating and cannot have babies. This means they look not for a long-term mate but for the most attractive male.

According to psychologists at St Andrews and Stirling Universities, the social consequences of the findings, due to be published this summer, could be significant. “Where a woman chooses her partner while she is on the pill, and then comes off it to have a child, she may find she is married to the wrong man,” said Tony Little, who led the research.

The study found women on the pill appeared to make equally inappropriate choices when picking a man for a fling: they were more likely to choose a “caring” man with feminine features. Conversely, those not on the pill were more likely to choose a macho male for a fling.

One area being investigated by psychologist Craig Roberts at Newcastle University is that the pill disrupts a woman’s sense of smell. Normally, women use body odour to identify mates with different immune system genes from their own, a biological strategy designed to give offspring a broad a range of immunity genes.

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