Ten years of education in Catholic schools has left its mark on me. I find myself blushing just posting this information — which is from the friggin’ Scientific American after all — but post it I must.
Because it is simply fascinating — and not for the suggestive connotations. But how truly remarkable is evolution when we discover its finer points. To wit:
Now, medical professionals have known for a very long time that the vagina is an ideal route for drug delivery. The reason for this is that the vagina is surrounded by an impressive vascular network. Arteries, blood vessels, and lymphatic vessels abound, and—unlike some other routes of drug administration—chemicals that are absorbed through the vaginal walls have an almost direct line to the body’s peripheral circulation system.
. . .Perhaps the most striking of these compounds is the bundle of mood-enhancing chemicals in semen. There is good in this goo. Such anxiolytic chemicals include, but are by no means limited to, cortisol (known to increase affection), estrone (which elevates mood), prolactin (a natural antidepressant), oxytocin (also elevates mood), thyrotropin-releasing hormone (another antidepressant), melatonin (a sleep-inducing agent) and even serotonin (perhaps the most well-known antidepressant neurotransmitter).
In other words, “a sort of natural Prozac.” Women having sex without condoms have “significantly fewer depressive symptoms” than those who use condoms or abstain. The chemistry may also explain certain unprotected homosexual male practices.
This from the Scientific American blog Bering in Mind and posted just the other day. Read the article for the details. If I continue, some unhappy nun will smack me with a ruler.