Preferences for sweet in relationship to use of oral contraceptives and pregnancy

Abstract

Sweetness preference of 165 women was measured during a variety of hormonal conditions. Group LP consisted of women using oral contraceptives (OC) which had a low progestin potency, while the women in group HP used OCs which had a high progestin potency. Groups I, II, and III consisted of women who were tested during one of the three trimesters of pregnancy. For purposes of comparison with the treatment groups, women who were nonpregnant, non-OC users were roughly divided into groups representing the phase of the menstrual cycle during which they were tested. All of the women tasted four solutions of sucrose and ranked them in order from most to least preferred. Group LP had a significant preference for strong concentrated sucrose solutions, whereas Group HP had no preference. There were no significant differences in sweetness preference between the three trimesters of pregnancy, but the sweetness preference of pregnant women was significantly less than that of the nonpregnant women.