Interrelations between Psyche, Body and Menstrual Cycle in Women

[Sarah]

I found a menstrual calender application the other day that allows analyzing interrelationships between cycle phases, mood, sexual desire, symptoms and so on.

At first I wasn't aware of this as I hadn't completed a cycle yet, but now as I already have been entering quite a few data points, I found it really astounding to see all these correlations between my menstrual cycle and symptoms and also between various symptoms, that I had barely been aware of before.

Can anyone relate?

Does anyone know of any meta-studies that investigate these interrelations?

[pert -5]

I found a menstrual calender application (Lady Cycle on android) the other day that allows analyzing interrelationships between cycle phases, mood, sexual desire, symptoms and so on.

At first I wasn't aware of this as I hadn't completed a cycle yet, but now as I already have been entering quite a few data points, I found it really astounding to see all these correlations between my menstrual cycle and symptoms and also between various symptoms, that I had barely been aware of before.

Can anyone relate?

Does anyone know of any meta-studies that investigate these interrelations?

Do you always post this much information about yourself?  I have an affection for menstrual women.

[gone]

Everytime I hear the word 'menstrual' I'm reminded of when Russel Brand rhymed it with 'consensual'.. Sorry completely random but I'm interested to know more about this. Over the last year I have paid a lot of attention to 'things' and just this morning I could smell something, anyway to cut a long story short I have noticed I have an acute sense of smell at a certain time of month just for a few days.. It's incredible and when I get on this 'what's that smell' and go on obsessing until I find the source (that no-one else can smell).. I then think 'Wait a minute what time of month is it' and it's as regular as clockwork.. I haven't researched this but I do wonder WHY my sense of smell becomes so sensitive..  What purpose would this serve, biologically/neurologically/psychologically???

[SWM]

Eew! too much lady stuff going on in this thread.

[gone]

Apparently women increase in attractiveness when they are ovulating.. Imagine that - they can morph before your very eyes.
Heighten sense of smell is common I've discovered. I could be a sniffer dog and even sniff out truffels if you put me in a forest at a certain time.. It's a temporary super-power, I even have to rid the house of air freshners as they become so overpowering (for 2 days only). I think the whole world world works in cycles, earth around the sun to reproduction, which makes me think men must have 'cycles' too. (not talking machine as in moto(cycle) but emotional or biological)

[SWM]

one thing about applications on devices is that they may be data mining and behaviour modelling for  Market research and advertisement targetting . If you are giving information to companies about when you feel horny, angry or depressed and when you need affection, comfort food or a break etc. you are giving a lot of info that is going to cost you as you become manipulated to consume more.

[Sarah]

@ psycho-mother

I have been observing changes in sensitivity to smell as well across my cycle. Though I couldn't yet tell when it's more sensitive and when less, will try to find out though. :-)
Regarding purpose, I don't know. There is a lot of research on the sensitivity of females to smell whether a potential partner would be biologically "compatible". As far as I remember, around the days of ovulation, the female likes the smell of those men best that would be best compatible, whereas during menstruation, the female likes the smell of those men that share genetical background (family members)...
At least that's what Wedekind et al. reported in 1995...

I don't know how well these findings are replicated, however, in this regard it would make sense to have increased smell sensitivity during the time of ovulation, so that one would not miss a potential compatible mate during the most fertile period of the cycle?

I'm curious about men cycles too, at least PMS-like symptoms don't seem to be rare in some men... ;-)

Isn't there also some evidence that women would walk differently during the days around ovulation...? Don't remember what article I read that in anymore though.

@SWM that's something I'm always concerned with too, but as far as I have found out, the app I'm using was developed by a scientist couple who developed the app during their free time and have no relations to any companies that could possibly use my data for advertising. Moreover, the data I enter is only saved on my phone and not transfered to any external database that the developers would have access to, so yeah, I think I'm probably more safe here than with my gmail account... ;-)