The Ups and Downs of Fatherhood

Caring for a child can suppress testosterone levels in men.

Written byCristina Luiggi
| 1 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
1:00
Share

STOCK.XCHING, SIMMBARB

While high levels of testosterone may give men a competitive edge when seeking a mate, low levels of the hormone can aid them in becoming caring and involved fathers. In a study published yesterday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers followed 600 young, single men in the Philippines over a period of 5 years and found that there was a significant drop in testosterone levels in the men that became first-time fathers.

“Fatherhood and the demands of having a newborn baby require many emotional, psychological and physical adjustments,” first author Lee T. Gettler told the Journal Sentinel. “Our study indicates that a man’s biology can change substantially to help meet those demands.”

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Related Topics

Meet the Author

Share
February 2026

A Stubborn Gene, a Failed Experiment, and a New Path

When experiments refuse to cooperate, you try again and again. For Rafael Najmanovich, the setbacks ultimately pushed him in a new direction.

View this Issue
Human-Relevant In Vitro Models Enable Predictive Drug Discovery

Advancing Drug Discovery with Complex Human In Vitro Models

Stemcell Technologies
Redefining Immunology Through Advanced Technologies

Redefining Immunology Through Advanced Technologies

Ensuring Regulatory Compliance in AAV Manufacturing with Analytical Ultracentrifugation

Ensuring Regulatory Compliance in AAV Manufacturing with Analytical Ultracentrifugation

Beckman Coulter Logo
Conceptual multicolored vector image of cancer research, depicting various biomedical approaches to cancer therapy

Maximizing Cancer Research Model Systems

bioxcell

Products

Sino Biological Logo

Sino Biological Pioneers Life Sciences Innovation with High-Quality Bioreagents on Inside Business Today with Bill and Guiliana Rancic

Sino Biological Logo

Sino Biological Expands Research Reagent Portfolio to Support Global Nipah Virus Vaccine and Diagnostic Development

Beckman Coulter

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences Partners with Automata to Accelerate AI-Ready Laboratory Automation

Refeyn logo

Refeyn named in the Sunday Times 100 Tech list of the UK’s fastest-growing technology companies