With all the talk about in the news regarding almost half the female population experiencing some type of female sexual dysfunction, a new theory has introduced hypothesizing that declining fertility actually increases sexual desire and behavior patterns in women.
The study was titled Reproduction Expediting: Sexual Motivations, Fantasies, and the Ticking Biological Clockand for the first time, examined the evolutionary standpoint that charts the changes in women’s reproductive behavior across the life cycle. The study appeared in the July addition of the Personality and Individual Differences journal.
Conducted by Judith A. Easton, a, , Jaime C. Confera, Cari D. Goetza and David M. Bussa, the researchers split 827 women into three groups:
- high fertility (ages18-26)
- low fertility (ages 27-45)
- menopausal (ages 46 and up)
The respondents answered an online questionnaire about their sexual attitudes and behavior. Researchers found that as women’s fertility declined, they
- fantasized more about sex
- had more frequent and intense sexual fantasies
- were more willing to engage in sexual intercourse
- report engaging in sexual intercourse more frequently than women in other age groups
After reviewing the findings, researchers hypothesized that women have evolved a “reproduction expediting”, or in simpler language, their brains have adapted to capitalize on their remaining fertility.
Dispelling the common belief that as women reach their 30′s they hit their sexual peak, Easton stated “Our results suggest there is nothing special about the 30s, but that instead these behaviors manifest in all women with declining fertility.”
Easton says she believes the research will have implications on reproductive and sexual health issues, such as fertility, sexual dysfunction and marital development.
