ARTICLE IN PRESS Symmetrical women have higher potential fertility

Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) is believed to reflect developmental stability and thus may serve as a marker of the biologic quality of individuals. To test the hypothesis that degree of FA is related to a woman’s potential fertility, we measured finger length together with levels of estradiol in saliva samples collected daily for an entire menstrual cycle in 171 Polish urban and rural women. We show that women who are more symmetrical, as assessed by the degree of inequality in the fourth-digit length of their right and left hands, have 13% higher average levels of estradiol over the menstrual cycle than less symmetrical women (19.4 and 17.1 pmol/l, respectively; p=.0001). Among urban women, mid-cycle levels of estradiol were 28% higher in the symmetrical group than in the asymmetrical group. Because higher hormone levels in women may lead to a substantial rise in the probability of conception, low FA may therefore be associated with increased fertility. D 2006 Published by Elsevier Inc.