Hormonal Underpinnings of the Variation in Sexual Desire, Arousal and Activity Throughout the Menstrual Cycle – A Multifaceted Approach

ABSTRACT

Although prior evidence supports women’s mating behaviors and preferences being related to ovarian hormonal levels, there is conflicting evidence about exactly which hormones predict sexual function best, which specific psychosexual facets are affected and how between-individual and within-individual differences relate to this question. In this study levels of estradiol and progesterone were measured (once daily for 15 days for each participant) for 97 women, who attended two testing sessions, in times of the cycle varying in conception probability (based on the luteinizing hormone (LH) test result). Women completed surveys on their sexual desire, arousal, sexual activity frequency and initiation. There was a significant difference between peri-ovulatory and luteal values for all sexual function variables. Between-subject progesterone negatively predicted sexual activity frequency only. Within-subject estradiol positively and progesterone negatively predicted sexual desire. The findings provide support for hormonal underpinnings of sexual desire and sexual activity frequency fluctuations during the menstrual cycle. The findings did not yield support for hormonal influences on sexual arousal and initiation of sexual encounters. The main findings are consistent with the excitatory and inhibitory effects of estradiol and progesterone, respectively, on measures of women’s sexual motivation.

Author Contribution

Conceptualization: UMM, MM. Data curation: UMM, MM. Formal analysis: TS. Funding acquisition: UMM. Methodology: UMM, MM. Statistical Analysis: TS. Writing and editing of the manuscript: UMM, TS, JR, MM.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data Availability Statement

All raw data are available in the Electronic Supplementary Materials 2.

Supplementary Material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2022.2110558

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the National Science Centre under grant number 2014/12/S/NZ8/00722 and Polish-U.S. Fulbright Commission under grant number Polsko-Amerykanska Komisja Fulbrighta [PL/2018/42/SR] to UMM; narodowe centrum nauki [2014/12/S/NZ8/00722].