Assessment of sexual functioning during the menstrual cycle

In a study of 115 women who presented with complaints of premenstrual symptoms, we investigated the relationship between the menstrual cycle and different aspects of sexual functioning, using the Changes in Sexual Functioning Questionnaire. Women who were assessed at the screening visit during the late luteal phase of their menstrual cycle reported less desire to engage in sexual activity and less frequent sexual activity than women who were assessed during other phases of the menstrual cycle. The 24 women who returned for the second and third visits reported less frequent orgasms and less satisfaction from their orgasms premenstrually than during midcycle.