The menstrual cycle and components of human female sexual behaviour

Abstract

In non-human primates, gonadal hormones alter attractivity and proceptivity to produce maximal sexual interaction around ovulation. A review of the relevant literature for humans revealed little comparable data. Hormonal correlations with human sexual behaviour have been difficult to demonstrate, and the most prominent peak of conscious sexual desire appears to occur in the mid-follicular rather than the ovulatory phase. There is evidence, however, for a mid-cycle peak in female sexual initiation. We suggest that the notion of non-cyclicity in humans may result from a lack of research concentration on separate components of sexual receptivity and on socio-environmental factors that may interact with hormonal influences.

Female sexual orientation and menstrual influences on person perception

“…This explanation, that women are more attuned to features specifying maleness during period of high sexual desire/activity can also accommodate the findings for the regularly ovulating women (Johnston et al, 2003;Macrae et al, 2002). Ovulation is not only a period of high conception likelihood for regularly ovulating women but also one of high sexual (or reproductive) desire, as evidenced by the increase in sexual activity, especially female-initiated activity, at this time (Hill, 1988;Pawlowski, 1999;Streklis & Whiteman, 1989;Wood, 1994). Both regularly ovulating women and women on the pill therefore, show enhanced sensitivity to features of maleness when in a state of (relatively) high sexual desire.…”

“…These findings in large part parallel previous research with heterosexual women who showed enhanced sensitivity to markers of maleness at high fertility (Johnston et al, 2003;Macrae et al, 2002) and are consistent with an explanation based on levels of sexual desire and activity. Sexual activity has been shown to be greatest for women, both homosexual and heterosexual, around ovulation (Baker & Bellis, 1995;Burleson et al, 2002;Harvey, 1987;Hill, 1988;Matteo & Rissman, 1984) and hence women should be especially attuned to sexually-relevant information at this time. 1 For heterosexual women this results in enhanced sensitivity to markers of maleness (Johnston et al, 2003;Macrae et al, 2002) and for lesbians in enhanced sensitivity to markers of femaleness.…”

Sexual Minority Women’s Sexual Motivation Around the Time of Ovulation

“…Our study cannot definitively answer this question, but the findings suggest that examining cyclic variation in women's same-sex and other-sex desires is a promising approach for determining whether some women's same-sex desires have different underlying influences. We expected that women with stable patterns of same-sex sexuality since 1995 would show distinct increases in same-sex motivation around the time of ovulation, similar to the mid-cycle increases in other-sex motivation that have been observed among heterosexual women (Harvey, 1987;Hill, 1988;Matteo & Rissman, 1984), and we expected that these increases would be greater than those observed among women with inconsistent patterns of identification.…”

“…Specifically, researchers (going back to Beach, 1976) have distinguished between female proceptivity (i.e., motivation to initiate sexual activity) and female receptivity or arousability (i.e., capacity to become aroused to sexual stimuli). As reviewed by Wallen (1995), proceptivity peaks around the time of ovulation, when women are most likely to conceive, and is manifested in increased sexual initiation, sexual activity, and orgasms among women who are not taking hormonal contraception (Harvey, 1987;Hill, 1988;Matteo & Rissman, 1984). Such mid-cycle increases in sexual motivation were first documented over 50 years ago in seminal longitudinal work by Benedek and Rubenstein (1952).…”

Women’s Sexuality, Well-Being, and the Menstrual Cycle: Methodological Issues and Their Interrelationships

“…Another issue in women's sexuality reflects differences in sexual desire or proceptivity (Hill, 1988) versus pair-bond formation (Diamond, 2003;Gonzaga, Turner, Keltner, Campos, & Altemus, 2006). Women experience both sexual desire/libido and feelings of affection toward others (Diamond, 2003).…”