Testosterone Drops Off After Men Become Fathers

But the love and pride that comes with raising a family surely outweighs the piddling loss of a stupid hormone, right?

Becoming a father apparently leads to a drop off in testosterone levels, a conclusion that leads researchers to believe that men are biologically programmed to help raise families. The first-ever large scale study of men's testosterone levels measured how much of the hormone they had when they were 21 and then again five years later. Men naturally lose testosterone as they age, but men who had had children in the intervening years lost twice as much of the hormone as men without kids. Men who spent more than three hours caring for their children each day had even lower amounts. The team says their research suggests having a kid somewhat domesticates men, as the lower testosterone levels means men are less likely to do stupid things like going drunken dirt biking or sleeping with anything that walks, and instead turn their attention homeward. So, ladies, the best way to change a man seems to be to have his children.