Psychoendocrine correlates of sociosexual responsivity in older premenopausal primates.
Cycling older premenopausal female bonnet macaques (17 to 18 years) show decreased attractivity (mounting indices) and responsivity to males in short-term pair-testing compared to younger, fully mature cycling females (9 to 13 years). Comparison of age-group mean circulating levels of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone during four phases of the menstrual cycle shows a significant decrement in older females only in the height of the estrogen surge during the periovulatory (estrous) phase of the cycle. Supplementation of older females with an estradiol + testosterone preparation (Deladumone, Squibb) did not restore behavioral sexual interaction to the level of younger females. The data suggest a gradual decline in sexual responsivity or arousal in older females which precedes the major endocrine changes of menopause. Such a lowering of responsivity appears comparable to that observed in aging (albeit sexually functional) human males.
D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D004338:Drug Combinations / Q000494:pharmacology; D004958:Estradiol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology; D004971:Estrus / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D008255:Macaca radiata; D008297:Male; D008593:Menopause; D011247:Pregnancy; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D013739:Testosterone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology
D004338:Drug Combinations; C013916:estradiol valerate, testosterone enantate drug combination; D013739:Testosterone; D004958:Estradiol