--- title: Does the menstrual cycle affect which men women prefer as romantic partners? description: Yes. Women in their fertile window preferred men with aggressive traits as short-term partners, though this preference did not extend to long-term relationshi url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/female-attraction-to-appetitive-aggressive-men-is-modulated-by-women-s-menstrual-2013/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does the menstrual cycle affect which men women prefer as romantic partners? Study, 2013 # Does the menstrual cycle affect which men women prefer as romantic partners? Yes. Women in their fertile window preferred men with aggressive traits as short-term partners, though this preference did not extend to long-term relationships. Early or limited evidence 1212 women ## What they did 1212 women read descriptions of soldiers returning from war. There were four scenarios: trauma with high aggression, trauma with low aggression, no trauma with high aggression, and no trauma with low aggression. Women rated their desire for short-term and long-term relationships with each described soldier. ## What they found Women preferred the highly aggressive soldiers as short-term mates but not for long-term relationships. This preference for aggressive traits was higher during the fertile window of the menstrual cycle compared to other phases. ## What it means for you Aggressive traits may signal genetic advantages valued for short-term reproduction during peak fertility, but women recognize these traits are not desirable for long-term partnership. The main limitation is that women responded to written descriptions rather than meeting real people, and how menstrual cycle phase was determined is not explained. 1212 women studied 4 soldier descriptions rated ## About the study Original title Female attraction to appetitive-aggressive men is modulated by women's menstrual cycle and men's vulnerability to traumatic stress Authors Giebel G, Weierstall R, Schauer M et al. Journal Evolutionary psychology : an international journal of evolutionary approaches to psychology and behavior Year 2013 Study design Study Participants 1,212 What was tested Reading soldier descriptions and rating partner preference Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1177/147470491301100122](https://doi.org/10.1177/147470491301100122) ## Topics [Irritability and anger](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-irritability-anger/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[PTSD and trauma](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-ptsd-trauma/)[Relationships and partners](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-relationships/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Survey study, 2025 What psychological and personal factors predict which university students will develop premenstrual syndrome? Survey study, 2026 Do trauma and stress worsen PMS symptoms, and does how you think about events matter? Cohort study, 2025 Does trait anger explain why trauma and stress lead to premenstrual disorder symptoms? Systematic review, 2025 Is there a link between stress, trauma, and premenstrual symptoms? Cohort study, 2025 Do pain sensitivity and negative thinking explain how trauma and stress cause PMS or PMDD? Cohort study, 2024 Does experiencing stressful life events change how your mood varies during your menstrual cycle? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗