Whitten effect

The Whitten effect is a phenomenon observed by W. K. Whitten (1956, 1966, 1968), whereby male mouse pheromone-laden urine synchronizes the estrus cycle "among unisexually grouped females."

Although there is similarity with the McClintock effect, the latter does not posit a role for male pheromones. In addition, there is little evidence for a functioning vomeronasal system (thought to be the sensory organ that initiates the Bruce, Vandenbergh, and Whitten effects) in humans. These differences, in putative stimulus and neural pathway (as well as species observed), stringently distinguishes the Whitten and McClintock effects.