Sex may be more frequent during most fertile days

	Tweet

Biological factors appear to increase the likelihood that a woman will engage in sexual intercourse during her most fertile days rather than at other times, according to the results of a new study. Therefore, women who don’t want to become pregnancy should be aware that a single episode of unprotected sex may be more risky than chance alone would dictate.

In a variety of mammals, intercourse is coordinated with ovulation through different mechanisms, such as an increase in libido during the fertile period. 

In humans, however, an association between intercourse and ovulation has not been established.

As reported in Human Reproduction, Dr. Allen J. Wilcox, from the National Institute of Environmental Health Services in Durham, North Carolina, and colleagues investigated this topic by analyzing data from 68 sexually active women.
--------------------------------------------------------
Get to know CIALIS, the first tablet for erectile dysfunction (ED) that gives you up to 36 hours to choose the moment that’s right for you and your partner.
» »
----------------------------------------------------------

The women, who had undergone surgical sterilization or had an IUD, kept intercourse diaries for up to three menstrual cycles and provided urine samples for hormone testing, which allowed the authors to determine the day of ovulation. The six days ending with ovulation were defined as the fertile days. Data from a total of 171 ovulation cycles were included in the analysis.

The authors found that intercourse frequency rose steadily during the women’s cycle and then fell off abruptly after peaking at ovulation.

The six fertile days were also the days when intercourse was most frequent, the investigators report. Compared with the other days, intercourse was 24 percent more frequent during the fertile days, significant increase.

“It is remarkable that the biological forces shaping this intimate aspect of human behavior have gone largely unrecognized, perhaps because the effect is modest in absolute terms,” the researchers note.

“For couples who wish to conceive, these biological mechanisms act as a silent partner that facilitates the optimum timing of intercourse.”

SOURCE: Human Reproduction, June 10, 2004.

RELATED STORIES:
Sex education taught by students is popular   Condom use, not abstinence, cuts Uganda’s HIV rate   Nerve damage may underlie female sex dysfunction   Makers say new impotence drug effective longer than Viagra   Syphilis through oral sex on the rise   Singaporeans seek chaste Valentine’s Day   Evolution explains age of puberty   Americans Too Sleepy for Sex, Poll Findsz   Pediatrician Offers Tips for Talking to Kids about Sexting, Internet Use   Zambia ‘bans’ condoms in schools   Sexy New Erectile Dysfunction Ads   Pfizer switches agency for Viagra ads

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]