title: The menstrual cycle and sexual behavior: relationship to eating, exercise, sleep, and health patterns.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Hawaii at Hilo, 200 West Kawili Street, Hilo, HI 96720-4091, USA. susanb@hawaii.edu
authors.forename: Susan G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Lynn A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Morrison
authors.forename: Marites J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Calibuso
authors.forename: Tess M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Christiansen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015444:Exercise; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006254:Hawaii / Q000453:epidemiology; D020010:Heterosexuality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018452:Homosexuality, Female / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000032:analysis; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000032:analysis; D007989:Libido; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000502:physiology*; D012746:Sexual Abstinence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012890:Sleep; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016387:Women's Health
chemical_list: D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D006854:Hydrocortisone