Cohort study, 1992
Does sexual arousal change at different times during the menstrual cycle?
No. Sexual arousal in response to erotic material stayed stable across the menstrual cycle, with only minor physical variations.
What they did
Three separate experiments measured both subjective sexual arousal (what women reported feeling) and physiological arousal (physical responses) at different menstrual cycle phases. Women viewed erotic films or did sexual fantasies. Researchers also measured mood, recent sexual experience, vividness of imagery, and reactions to material.
What they found
Subjective sexual arousal from fantasy was stable across the menstrual cycle. Physical arousal during films and fantasy showed only minor variation. Mood state, recent sexual experience, vividness of imagery during fantasy, and distaste during erotic stimulation all remained constant across the cycle.
What it means for you
This study found no evidence that female sexual response varies systematically across the menstrual cycle. Previous beliefs about cycle-related changes in sexuality are not supported by these findings. The studies were observational without a comparison group, which is a limitation.
3
experiments conducted
stable
subjective sexual arousal across cycle
minor
variation in physiological arousal
About the study
- Original title
- Sexual arousal across phases of the human menstrual cycle
- Authors
- Meuwissen I, Over R
- Journal
- Archives of sexual behavior
- Year
- 1992
- Study design
- Cohort study
- What was tested
- None (observational study)
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1007/bf01542588