Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY.ROR
We investigated whether sexual activity was associated with reproductive function in the BioCycle Study, a prospective cohort study that followed 259 regularly menstruating women aged 18 to 44years for one (n=9) or two (n=250) menstrual cycles in 2005-2007. Women were not attempting pregnancy nor using hormonal contraceptives. History of ever having been sexually active was assessed at baseline and frequency of sexual activity, defined as vaginal-penile intercourse, was self-reported daily throughout the study. Serum concentrations of estradiol, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), progesterone, and testosterone were measured up to 8times/cycle. Sporadic anovulation was identified using peak progesterone concentration. Linear mixed models were used to estimate associations between sexual activity and reproductive hormone concentrations and generalized linear models were used to estimate associations with sporadic anovulation. Models were adjusted for age, race, body mass index, perceived stress, and alcohol consumption and accounted for repeated measures within women. Elevated concentrations of estrogen (+14.6%, P<.01), luteal progesterone (+41.0%, P<.01) and mid-cycle LH (+23.4%, P<.01), but not FSH (P=.33) or testosterone (P=.37), were observed in sexually active women compared with sexually inactive women (no prior and no study-period sexual activity); sexually active women had lower odds of sporadic anovulation (adjusted odds ratio=0.34, 95% confidence interval: 0.16-0.73). Among sexually active women, frequency of sexual activity was not associated with hormones or sporadic anovulation (all P>.23). Findings from our study suggest that ever having been sexually active is associated with improved reproductive function, even after controlling for factors such as age.
sexual activity reproductive hormones women, coital frequency ovulation association, BioCycle Study sexual behavior, intercourse endogenous hormones premenopausal, sexual activity estradiol progesterone, reproductive function sexual behavior, menstrual cycle sexual activity patterns, ovulation sexual behavior link, premenopausal women sexual frequency hormones
PMID 24954690 24954690 DOI 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.06.012 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.06.012
Cite this article
Prasad, A., Mumford, S. L., Buck Louis, G. M., Ahrens, K. A., Sjaarda, L. A., Schliep, K. C., Perkins, N. J., Kissell, K. A., Wactawski-Wende, J., & Schisterman, E. F. (2014). Sexual activity, endogenous reproductive hormones and ovulation in premenopausal women. Hormones and Behavior, 66(2), 330-338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.06.012
Prasad A, Mumford SL, Buck Louis GM, Ahrens KA, Sjaarda LA, Schliep KC, et al. Sexual activity, endogenous reproductive hormones and ovulation in premenopausal women. Horm Behav. 2014;66(2):330-338. doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.06.012
Prasad, A., et al. "Sexual activity, endogenous reproductive hormones and ovulation in premenopausal women." Hormones and Behavior, vol. 66, no. 2, 2014, pp. 330-338.
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