Mood, sexuality, oral contraceptives and the menstrual cycle.
4112 women completed a retrospective questionnaire indicating when during their last menstrual cycle they felt their well-being and sexual interest to be at their best and worst. The commonest pattern was for well-being to be lowest during the premenstrual and highest during the postmenstrual week. Sexual interest was strongly associated with well-being, suggesting that variations of well-being have a powerful effect on sexuality in the majority of women. Oral contraceptive users, though broadly similar in their reported pattern, were less likely to show peaks and troughs of well-being and highs and lows of sexual interest. This was most evident in the subgroup of monophasic pill users who showed the least tendency to variations in both well-being and sexual interest, and a greater tendency to show either peaks or troughs of well-being during menstruation. Triphasic pill users were intermediate between monophasic and non-pill users.
Warner
P
P
MRC Reproductive Biology Unit, Centre for Reproductive Biology, Edinburgh, U.K.
Bancroft
J
J
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000187:drug effects*; D000367:Age Factors; D003276:Contraceptives, Oral / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003278:Contraceptives, Oral, Hormonal / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003279:Contraceptives, Oral, Sequential / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D045166:Estradiol Congeners / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007989:Libido / Q000187:drug effects; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000187:drug effects*; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*
D003276:Contraceptives, Oral; D003278:Contraceptives, Oral, Hormonal; D003279:Contraceptives, Oral, Sequential; D045166:Estradiol Congeners