Menstrual cycle variation in women’s mating psychology: Empirical evidence and theoretical considerations
Abstract
Humans engage in sex year-round, but women can conceive only during a brief fertile window each month. The ovulatory shift hypothesis predicts that women will show stronger preferences and sexual desire for men with markers of genetic quality during this window.
This hypothesis has stimulated an enormous body of research which has generated conflicting findings. Here we review recent evidence on cyclic fluctuations in (a) mate preferences, (b) courtship behavior, (c) sexual desire, (d) sociosexuality, and (e) sexual behavior.
Studies on mate preferences provide limited evidence for robust changes across the cycle. In contrast, there appears to be subtle but systematic increase in sexual desire and behavior during the high-fertility phase.
Nevertheless, these changes are similar for in-pair and extra-pair sexual desire, thus contradicting the ovulatory shift hypothesis. Hormonal mechanisms underpinning these fluctuations are not fully understood.
Progesterone appears to be negatively associated with sexual desire, but the role of estradiol might be more complex than previously expected. We discuss methodological issues and emphasize the need for direct hormonal assays to determine ovulation timing.
Finally, we suggest that future research should broaden its scope, from focusing solely on the fertile phase to more fully studying the entire menstrual cycle, taking into account variables such as fluctuations in mood, well-being, and body image. Factors contributing to variation in cyclic changes, both within and between women, should be a focus of future studies.