Effects of androstenol on human sexual arousal.

The hypothesis that 5-alpha-androst-16-en-3 alpha-ol increases the sexual arousal of the human female was examined. This substance is produced by the male and has been suggested to be a possible human pheromone. Groups of female subjects were asked to read either a neutral or a sexually-arousing passage in the presence of either androstenol or a placebo. Although sexual arousal was clearly manipulated by the experimental conditions, there was no evidence that androstenol influenced sexual feelings.