Sex Drive And Birth Control: Oral Contraceptives Influence Sexual Desire In Committed Relationships Via Female Hormones
We may ask ourselves: "Why do we have sex?" Simply put: to procreate. Yet, unlike most mammals, humans are interested in sex year-round, even when they don't want offspring. A recent study in the journal Evolution & Human Behavior suggests how often we have sex is linked to the birth control type we use, and relationship commitment.
Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and the University of New Mexico found sex is important for establishing a connection between men and women in relationships. This is mediated by the type of oral contraceptive women use, and how often couples have sex.
Sex outside ovulation has remained an evolutionary mystery. Most sex around the world is not for procreation purposes. For example, many sexual behaviors we engage in, like anal, or oral sex, are for pleasure. However, previous research has found the desire for pleasure is not the most important reason for having sex.
Sociologist Randall Collins suggests human sexuality can be understood through a social context. Sex is an interactive ritual that follows the rules, according to Collins. In a sexual encounter, two people become aware of the other’s presence with their attention directed towards the common interest — sex. The pleasure derived from sex is the result of synchronized cooperation between the two people. Therefore, we have and enjoy sex because we’re able to form a connection, or a bond.
Birth Control Types And Sex Frequency
Unsurprisingly, in the recent study, researchers found women in long-term relationships who are using hormonal contraception, and in committed relationships, have more sex with partners. This association was especially true when the contraceptive women used had potent levels of synthetic hormones that mimicked the effects of the natural female hormones progesterone, and lower levels of estrogen. Women who used contraception with more progesterone were the most sexually active when they were faithful and loyal to their partners. Meanwhile, women who used contraception with more estrogen were most sexually active when in a less committed relationship.
These findings suggest there is a difference between the two types of hormonal contraceptives - estrogen, which naturally peaks just before ovulation when naturally cycling women can conceive offspring; and progesterone, which naturally peaks during the extended sexual phase, a time when offspring cannot be conceived - when it comes to sexual desire.
The researchers surveyed two groups of women to differentiate how sex frequency is linked to how committed they feel towards their partners, and the type of hormone they were governed by — whether natural or synthetic. The first group consisted of 112 women who were using hormonal contraception in committed, heterosexual relationships, and followed over a 12-week period. The women were asked how often and when in their cycle they had sex. The second group consisted of 275 women in long-term relationships who used hormonal contraception, and were asked about sex frequency. Both groups were asked to indicate the type of contraception they were using, and if a pill, which brand.
Read: 4 Ways Hormonal Birth Control Affects Men And Women
In this study, oral contraception and relationship status determined women’s sexual desire. Interestingly, women in long-term relationships had more sex when they were using a progesterone dominant contraceptive. This suggests the women were repeatedly having sex as a means to establish a deeper connection with their partner, rather than for procreational purposes.
So, why we’re interested in sex year-round, and how often we have it, is at least partly contingent on birth control, and our relationship status.
Source: Grøntvedt TV, Grebe NM, Kennair LEO et al. Estrogenic and Progestogenic Effects of Hormonal Contraceptives in Relation to Sexual Behavior: Insights into Extended Sexuality. Evolution & Human Behavior. 2016.
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