Editing Sexual attraction (section)

== Sexual preferences and hormones ==
The [[ovulatory shift hypothesis]] is the theory that female humans tend to exhibit different sexual behaviours and desires at points in their cycle.  Two [[Meta-analysis|meta-analyses]] published in 2014 reached opposing conclusions on whether the existing evidence was robust enough to support the prediction that women's mate preferences change across the cycle.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Gildersleeve |first1=Kelly |last2=Haselton |first2=Martie G. |last3=Fales |first3=Melissa R. |date=2014 |title=Do women's mate preferences change across the ovulatory cycle? A meta-analytic review |journal=Psychological Bulletin |volume=140 |issue=5 |pages=1205–1259 |doi=10.1037/a0035438|pmid=24564172|type= Meta-analysis }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Wood |first1=Wendy |last2=Kressel |first2=Laura |last3=Joshi |first3=Priyanka D. |last4=Louie |first4=Brian |date=2014 |title=Meta-analysis of menstrual cycle effects on women's mate preferences |journal=Emotion Review |volume=6 |issue=3 |pages=229–249 |doi=10.1177/1754073914523073|s2cid=4641508 }}</ref>  A newer 2018 review does not show women changing the type of men they desire at different times in their fertility cycle.<ref name="Jones2018">{{cite journal|doi=10.1016/j.tics.2018.10.008|title=Ovulation, Sex Hormones, and Women's Mating Psychology|year=2019|last1=Jones|first1=Benedict C.|last2=Hahn|first2=Amanda C.|last3=Debruine|first3=Lisa M.|journal=Trends in Cognitive Sciences|volume=23|issue=1|pages=51–62|pmid=30477896|s2cid=53715304|url=http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/172391/7/172391.pdf|type=Review|access-date=2021-12-19|archive-date=2022-11-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128130731/http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/172391/7/172391.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

In males, a masculine face has been positively correlated with fewer respiratory diseases and, as a consequence, masculine features offer a marker of [[health]] and [[reproductive success]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Thornhill|first1=Randy|last2=Gangestad|first2=Steven W.|title=Facial sexual dimorphism, developmental stability, and susceptibility to disease in men and women|journal=Evolution and Human Behavior|date=March 2006|volume=27|issue=2|pages=131–144|doi=10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2005.06.001|bibcode=2006EHumB..27..131T |url=http://facelab.org/bcjones/Teaching/files/Thornhill_2006.pdf|access-date=2016-12-02|archive-date=2016-12-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203065648/http://facelab.org/bcjones/Teaching/files/Thornhill_2006.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Ovulation===

Hormone levels throughout the menstrual cycle affect a woman's behaviour in preferences and in their overt behaviours. The [[Biological ornament|ornamentation]] effect is a phenomenon influenced by a stage of the menstrual cycle which refers to the way a woman presents herself to others, in a way to attract potential sexual partners. Studies have found that the closer women were to [[Ovulation cycle|ovulation]], the more provocatively they dress and the more attractive they are rated.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Haselton|first1=Martie G.|last2=Mortezaie|first2=Mina|last3=Pillsworth|first3=Elizabeth G.|last4=Bleske-Rechek|first4=April|last5=Frederick|first5=David A.|date=2007-01-01|title=Ovulatory shifts in human female ornamentation: Near ovulation, women dress to impress|journal=Hormones and Behavior|volume=51|issue=1|pages=40–45|doi=10.1016/j.yhbeh.2006.07.007|pmid=17045994|s2cid=9268718}}</ref>

It is possible that women are sensitive to the changes in their physical attractiveness throughout their cycles, such that at their most fertile stages their levels of attractiveness are increased. Consequently, they choose to display their increased levels of attractiveness through this method of ornamentation.<ref name="Haselton 509–518">{{Cite journal|last1=Haselton|first1=Martie G.|last2=Gangestad|first2=Steven W.|date=2006-04-01|title=Conditional expression of women's desires and men's mate guarding across the ovulatory cycle|journal=Hormones and Behavior|volume=49|issue=4|pages=509–518|doi=10.1016/j.yhbeh.2005.10.006|issn=0018-506X|pmid=16403409|s2cid=7065777}}</ref>

During periods of hormonal imbalance, women exhibit a peak in sexual activity.<ref name=":1">{{cite journal | last1 = Adams | first1 = D. B. | last2 = Gold | first2 = A. R. | last3 = Burt | first3 = B. A. | year = 1978 | title = Rise in female-initiated sexual activity at ovulation and its suppression by oral contraceptives | journal = The New England Journal of Medicine | volume = 299 | issue = 21| pages = 1145–1150 | doi=10.1056/nejm197811232992101| pmid = 703805 | title-link = oral contraceptives }}</ref> As these findings have been recorded for female-initiated sexual activity and not for male-initiated activity, the causation appears to be hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle.<ref name=":1" /> 

Research has also found that menstrual cycles affect sexual behaviour frequency in pre-[[menopausal]] women. For example, women who had weekly sexual intercourse with men had menstrual cycles with the average duration of 29 days, while women with less frequent sexual interactions tended to have more extreme cycle lengths.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Cutler|first1=Winnifred B.|last2=Garcia|first2=Celso R.|last3=Freiger|first3=Abba|title=Sexual Behaviour Frequency and menstrual cycle length in mature premenopausal women|journal=Psychoneuroendocrinology|date=December 1978|volume=4|issue=4|pages=297–309|pmid=523588|doi=10.1016/0306-4530(79)90014-3|s2cid=1553727}}</ref> [[Hormonal contraception]] can affect the sexual attraction.<ref name="n135">{{cite journal | last=Alvergne | first=Alexandra | last2=Lummaa | first2=Virpi | title=Does the contraceptive pill alter mate choice in humans? | journal=Trends in Ecology &amp; Evolution | publisher=Elsevier BV | volume=25 | issue=3 | year=2010 | issn=0169-5347 | doi=10.1016/j.tree.2009.08.003 | doi-access=free | pages=171–179}}</ref>

===Male response to ovulation===
Changes in hormones during a female's cycles affect the way she behaves and the way males behave towards her. Research has found that men are a lot more attentive and loving towards their partners when they are in the most [[Fertility|fertile]] phase of their cycles, in comparison to when they are in the [[luteal]] phases.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Pillsworth|first1=Elizabeth G.|last2=Haselton|first2=Martie G.|date=2006-07-01|title=Male sexual attractiveness predicts differential ovulatory shifts in female extra-pair attraction and male mate retention|journal=Evolution and Human Behavior|language=en|volume=27|issue=4|pages=247–258|doi=10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2005.10.002|bibcode=2006EHumB..27..247P |issn=1090-5138}}</ref> Men become increasingly [[Sexual jealousy|jealous and possessive]] over their partners during this stage.<ref name="Gangestad 975–982">{{Cite journal|last1=Gangestad|first1=Steven W|last2=Thornhill|first2=Randy|last3=Garver|first3=Christine E|date=2002-05-07|title=Changes in women's sexual interests and their partners' mate-retention tactics across the menstrual cycle: evidence for shifting conflicts of interest.|journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences|volume=269|issue=1494|pages=975–982|doi=10.1098/rspb.2001.1952|issn=0962-8452|pmc=1690982|pmid=12028782}}</ref>