The relationship between mood and sexuality in women using an oral contraceptive as a treatment for premenstrual symptoms

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of a triphasic oral contraceptive (OC) on mood and on sexual interest in a group of 45 women with premenstrual complaints. Subjects made daily ratings of mood and sexual interest for one baseline cycle and were then randomly assigned to receive either placebo or OC for 3 mo. Women who received the OC reported decreased sexual interest during the menstrual and postmenstrual phases of the cycle. The predominant effect of both the OC and the placebo on mood was one of improvement, particularly during the premenstrual phase. There was little evidence of co-variation of mood and sexual interest in either group. Although the mechanism for the adverse effects of the OC on levels of sexual interest in unknown, it is clear that this effect was not simply a consequence of pill-induced negative mood change. The findings provide evidence that mood and sexual desire are dissociable and suggest that OCs can have direct effects on women's sexuality.

PIP: In Montreal, Canada, after 45 women who were seeking treatment for self-reported moderate to severe premenstrual changes made daily ratings of mood and sexual interest for 1 baseline cycle, they were blindly allocated to a group receiving a triphasic oral contraceptive (OC) Synphasic for 3 months or a group receiving a placebo for 3 months. Researchers wanted to determine the effects of the OC on mood and on sexual interest. Ratings of depression and sexual interest in both groups demonstrated significant cyclicity. For example, depression scores were highest during the premenstrual phase and lowest during the postmenstrual phase. Sexual interest peaked in the postmenstrual phase and bottomed out in the premenstrual phase. Both groups experienced a loss of cyclicity for mood and sexual interest by the 3rd treatment cycle. During the premenstrual phase, depression scores fell significantly in both groups (p .01), but an increase in sexual interest did not occur. During the menstrual phase, the OC group experienced a considerable drop in sexual interest (p .01), but the mood did not change. On the other hand, postmenstrually, the mood worsened, not significantly however, among the OC users, coinciding with a significant reduction in sexual interest (p .01). Yet mood and sexual interest were not correlated. In fact, covariation of mood and sexual interest basically did not occur in either group. Generally, both the OC and the placebo improved the mood, especially during the premenstrual phase. The negative effect of the OC on sexual interest was not just a result of OC induced negative mood change. These results show that mood and sexual desire are not linked. They intimate that OCs directly influence women's sexuality.