Prolonged and very intensive contact may not be conductive to menstrual synchrony.
Menstrual synchrony was not found for 30 cohabiting lesbian couples (mean time living together, 35 months), for whom 3 months of menstrual data were collected prospectively. A combined analysis with two previous studies of lesbian couples (Trevathan, W, Burleson, NH, Gregory, L (1993) No evidence for menstrual synchrony in lesbian couples. Psychoneuroendocrinology 18, 425-431; Weller, A, Weller, L (1992) Menstrual synchrony in female couples. Psychoneuroendocrinology 17, 171-177) also failed to reveal synchrony. These data are considered together with a previous study of Bedouin couples which found only a moderate degree of synchrony (Weller, A, Weller, L (1997a) Menstrual synchrony under optimal conditions: Bedouin families. J Comp Psychol 111, 143-151). When women live together for an extensive period of time and have intensive social contact among them, the intensive contact may not be conducive to menstrual synchrony.
Weller
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A
Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel. weller@popeye.cc.biu.ac.il
Weller
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L
D000328:Adult; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005260:Female; D018452:Homosexuality, Female / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008598:Menstruation / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012931:Social Environment; D013997:Time Factors