Abdominal cramps, mood swings, swollen breasts … having your period is usually no fun. But Aunt Flow often brings something else too: a surprisingly high libido.
The effects of hormones
Also noticed that you often feel more like having sex during your period? While it may sound illogical when you’re dying of cramps, the phenomenon occurs in many women. And that apparently mainly has to do with your sex hormones. “A menstrual cycle is accompanied by all kinds of hormonal changes. For example, there are constant increases and decreases in your estrogen, progesterone and testosterone levels,” says gynecologist Adeeti Gupta. And those hormones play an important role in your desire for sex. For example, a study published in the journal Hormones and Behavior found that changes in estrogen and progesterone levels in particular have a major effect on sex drive in women. “That’s because estrogen increases libido and desire, while progesterone suppresses libido,” explains Gupta.
During your period
But what exactly happens during your period? Before the bleeding starts, peaks arise in your estrogen and progesterone. Just before you actually get them, they drop again and as soon as you start menstruating, the estrogen starts to slowly rise again. That moment in your cycle causes many women to have more sex drive than usual. “During and just after menstruation, progesterone, the hormone that suppresses your libido, is lowest, while your estrogen, which stimulates your sex drive, increases,” says cognitive neuroscientist and sex therapist Nan Wise.
Stress relief
In addition, sex or masturbation also works as a medicine for many women. “Sex and orgasms can relieve stress and menstrual pain, two things you unconsciously desire during that time of the month,” said Wise. Still, according to her, it also depends from woman to woman whether or not you feel excited during your period. “Some women just don’t like having sex when they suffer from abdominal cramps and blood loss, while for others it can cause a kind of discharge.”
Finally, your period does not appear to be the only sexual highlight in your cycle. Research shows that your hormonal changes also make you horny around ovulation, about halfway through your cycle or two weeks after your period.
