---
title: Does the menstrual cycle change how your brain responds to sexual images?
description: Yes. During ovulation, the brain showed a larger electrical response to sexual images compared to other image types, but only when women were emotionally proc
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/selective-influence-of-the-menstrual-cycle-on-perception-of-stimuli-with-2000/
---

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- Does the menstrual cycle change how your brain responds to sexual images?

Lab study, 2000

# Does the menstrual cycle change how your brain responds to sexual images?

Yes. During ovulation, the brain showed a larger electrical response to sexual images compared to other image types, but only when women were emotionally processing the images.

 Early or limited evidence

11 women with regular, spontaneous menstrual cycles

## What they did

11 women were tested during three different phases of their menstrual cycle: menstruation, ovulation, and the luteal phase (after ovulation). They were shown four types of images: sexual images, babies, people doing body care, and ordinary people. While looking at the images, they either rated the emotional content or counted lines. Researchers measured electrical activity in the brain.

## What they found

During the ovulatory phase, the brain's electrical response to sexual images peaked at 550-600 milliseconds after seeing them and was larger than the response to other types of images. This effect only occurred during ovulation and only when women were emotionally processing the images, not when counting lines.

## What it means for you

Your brain may process sexual content differently at different points in your cycle, with more brain activity during ovulation when thinking about emotions. The study was small with only 11 women, so results need confirmation in larger studies.

11

women studied

3

menstrual phases tested

550-600 ms

timing of peak response

## About the study

Original title Selective influence of the menstrual cycle on perception of stimuli with reproductive significance: an event-related potential study Authors Krug R, Plihal W, Fehm HL et al. Journal Psychophysiology Year 2000 Study design Lab study Read the paper [doi.org/10.1111/1469-8986.3710111](https://doi.org/10.1111/1469-8986.3710111)

## Topics

[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[Work and productivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-work/)[Stigma, attitudes and culture](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-stigma-culture/)

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