Women's sexuality, well-being, and the menstrual cycle: methodological issues and their interrelationships.

Although many studies report that women's sexual behavior varies across their menstrual cycles, the research findings remain inconsistent. In this study, we addressed two methodological issues in research on the menstrual cycle: how ovulation is measured/inferred and whether data using menstrual cycles or participants' scores averaged across cycles as units of analysis yield similar results. We also employed an abstinent comparison group in addition to examining how emotional well-being was related to libido and sexual behavior through factor and regression analysis. Data were obtained from 97 participants. There were no significant differences in the results of analyses performed using cycles with known LH surges to determine ovulation versus cycles based on backward counts. However, we concluded that statistical power might be compromised when the known timing of ovulation was less accurate. Likewise, we found few overall differences in the results when we analyzed data using cycles with known LH surges compared to participants' averaged data across cycles. Women, including those in the abstinent group, reported increased sexual behavior prior to ovulation. Allosexual behavior was positively related to libido, and negatively related to positive and "premenstrual" emotional factors. Autosexual behavior was predicted by libido and an energetic/creative emotional factor. Our findings support hypotheses that women's sexual behavior is related to both mating and pair-bond formation.

Women's attitudes about menstruation and associated health and behavioral characteristics.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationships between attitudes towards menstruation, health, and behavioral characteristics. METHODS: The 136 women who completed questionnaires varied in their sexual activity, sexual orientation, and use of hormonal contraception. RESULTS: Women's estimated cycle length was accurate when compared to observed cycle length (F (3,156) = .05; P = .98). Smokers had decreased durations of flow (P < .01). Depo-Provera users were less likely to view menstruation as natural compared to abstinent, sexually active heterosexuals or those using traditional oral contraception (F (5,141) = 2.43; P = .04). CONCLUSIONS: Hormonal contraception use, but not sexual orientation, was associated with attitudes about menstruation.

The menstrual cycle and sexual behavior: relationship to eating, exercise, sleep, and health patterns.

Patterns of eating, exercise, sleep, and health were investigated across 180 menstrual cycles of 89 women who engaged in sex with a male (n = 45; cycles = 85), a female (n = 21; cycles = 37), or abstained from sex (n = 33; cycles = 58) from January 2005 to December 2007 (10 contributed to 2 groups). Cycles were divided into 5 phases based on their luteinizing hormone surges. Daily questionnaires and saliva for IgA and cortisol analyses were obtained. Women indicated that they ate more (p < .008) and did not sleep as well (p = .02) during their luteal and premenstrual phases. Participants were less likely to experience food cravings and did not satisfy their cravings when they were ovulatory (p < .001). Additionally, a greater proportion of lesbians skipped breakfast (p = .01) and exercised less than heterosexuals (p = .05). Sexually active women had lower cortisol and IgA levels than abstinent women (p = .02). Our study discovered, and confirmed, systematic differences in eating, sleeping, and health patterns across women's menstrual cycles.