Sex, sensation, and the menstrual cycle: How libido and menstrual cycle coexist

Do you have days when you feel super horny and others when your sex drive goes AWOL “absent without leave”.? If so, that’s totally normal. Everyone’s sex drive is different, but you may have noticed a pattern in how much or how little you crave sex during certain times of the month. Well, there’s a reason for that!

Throughout your cycle, Mother Nature (as clever as she is) has a way of promoting reproduction by boosting your urge to have sex during ovulation, while also increasing your attractiveness to your partner! Keep reading to discover how it can affect your libido so you can work in harmony with your natural peaks in sexual desire.

It comes in waves…

Sex can feel more or less appealing depending on the time of the month, as your sensitivity towards physical sensations changes from one week to another. From changes in your vaginal discharge to the opening and softening of your cervix during ovulation; nature gives you clear signs of when it is the best time to have sex to conceive (or for many of us the best time to practice!)

The phases of your menstrual cycle can and often do have an impact on your libido. It’s very common to feel much more interested in sex midway through your cycle, or when you ovulate. This is when estrogen and testosterone levels are ar their peak, triggering a rise in libido.

While each person is different, many people experience a higher sex drive during ovulation, or right at the end of the follicular phase, when estrogen is at its highest. One commonly found explanation for the increase in sex drive is the body’s biological desire to reproduce. You are most fertile during ovulation, so the increase in sex drive could be an evolutionary response intended to increase chance of reproduction. In addition to estrogen spiking during this time, oxytocin is also at its highest. Oxytocin is often referred to as the love hormone, and can aid in sexual arousal, trust, and romantic attachment. And on top of these two hormones, your body also produces luteinizing hormone, which is what triggers ovulation. One, or some combination of these hormones is likely what causes increased sex drive during ovulation.

Following ovulation, progesterone is at its highest, which is also when many folks notice a sharp decrease in sexual desire. Again, we don’t know that this is necessarily the reason why many people see a decrease in sex drive, but this could certainly be the case. In addition to hormone levels, symptoms that some folks experience in the pre-menstrual phase can lead to a decrease in sex drive. These might include low mood, anxiety, and fatigue – all things that logically might make someone less interested in sex.

What else affects my libido?

Your cycle aside, there’s a wide range of other lifestyle factors that can also affect your libido. These include travel, stress, exercise, taking the contraceptive pill and many more factors.

If you feel that your libido levels are lower than higher than you’d like, don’t be afraid of reaching out reach for help from a professional. There’s a wide variety of ways to improve your sex drive and satisfaction, including sex therapy, changes to birth control and stress management techniques.

Let’s talk about Menstrubation (It’s Sexier Than you think, promised).. Sex toys could reduce stress, menstrual cramps.

The link between orgasms and pain relief hasn’t  been fully understood, but the main theory from experts is that the endorphins released when you orgasm may help relieve menstrual pain. Our bodies release endorphins in response to things like pain and stress, as well as more rewarding activities like eating, exercise, or sexual pleasure.

The benefits of menstrubation can’t be overlooked for most but they are real. Masturbating on your period doesn’t have to be messy or ick, here two things you can try:

• You can use a tampon or a Menstrual Cup for a totally mess-free experience, focus on clitoral stimulation with your hand or vibrator.
• Try in the shower (alone, with your partner or with your favorite sex toys)

If you’re not already masturbating during your period yet, you might want to take advantage of the change in hormones, It is said you might experience the best orgasm of your life, solo or with a partner, during your period.

Get rid if the idea that women can’t or are not allowed sexual pleasure during their menstruation. Unless you don’t want to be sexual, there is no reason to not explore what feels good to you even when you are having your period.