Every month, women experience periods with the usual symptoms – bloating, cramps, fatigue, etc. But this time of the month can also make women experience a wild and crazy libido.

Many women would agree that they feel extremely horny when they are on their periods. Ever thought what could be the reason?

Doctors say that the menstrual cycle involves the cyclical rise and fall of hormones like estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and DHEA(a hormone that your body naturally produces in the adrenal gland)

All of these hormones play an important role in your sex drive.

A study conducted in 2013 explored the connection in a group of undergraduate women. The researchers measured hormone levels over two menstrual cycles and then compared the results to daily journals, where these women recorded their sexual activity and feelings of friskiness.

The researchers found that the changing levels of estrogen and progesterone had quite an effect on libido. Estrogen drops at the beginning of your period cycle and then starts to rise up steadily by the second or third day. This promotes libido and desire. Progesterone, on the other hand, is at a low point. So it’s very much possible that you feel even more sexual in its absence.

Now, if you’re wondering if it can affect menstruation, let us tell you that it doesn’t. Your hormones are fluctuating, so sexual arousal doesn’t have that much effect on your period days. However, some women say that if they masturbate or have sex while menstruating, they feel relief in pelvic congestion or menstrual cramps.

Your sexual feelings can impact your mood during periods. Sex or orgasm are both known to relieve stress. And either or both of these could also be something that you subconsciously crave during your menstrual cycle.

In some cases, women would want to have an orgasm to relax their desires, while in others, they would want an intimate connection. What’s important is that you listen to your body and give it what it needs.

So, is your period horniness entirely dependent on your hormones? No. Women might like sex more or less during that time of the month, it depends on their physical comfort. For some women, sex is the last thing they want when they are bleeding and crampy. For others, sexual activity is what relieves them.

While your shifting hormones do rule your period days, it all depends on your choice and whether you want to indulge in sexual activity or not. Even if you don’t feel horny at all during this time of the month, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you.