Survey study, 1988
Do mood and sexual interest change during the cycle, and do birth control pills change these patterns?
Most women reported the lowest well-being and sexual interest before their period and highest after it. Birth control pills flatten these variations, with different types of pills having different effects.
What they did
4112 women completed a retrospective questionnaire reporting when in their last menstrual cycle they felt their well-being and sexual interest at their best and worst.
What they found
The most common pattern was lowest well-being during the premenstrual phase and highest during the postmenstrual week. Sexual interest closely followed well-being. Oral contraceptive users showed a similar pattern but with less extreme peaks and troughs. Monophasic pill users showed the least variation in both well-being and sexual interest. Triphasic pill users showed an intermediate pattern.
What it means for you
Birth control pills can reduce the natural ups and downs in mood and sexual interest that many women experience across the cycle. The effect depends on the type of pill. However, the study relied on women's memories of their last cycle, which may not be fully accurate.
4112
women surveyed
About the study
- Original title
- Mood, sexuality, oral contraceptives and the menstrual cycle
- Authors
- Warner P, Bancroft J
- Journal
- Journal of psychosomatic research
- Year
- 1988
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 4,112
- What was tested
- Oral contraceptives (monophasic pills, triphasic pills, or none)
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/0022-3999(88)90025-6
Topics
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