Disgust, Sexual Cues, and the Prophylaxis Hypothesis

Abstract

Women’s susceptibility to infection has been found to vary across the menstrual cycle. During the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, when progesterone levels are at their peak, women experience a downregulation in inflammatory immune responses to tolerate the presence of foreign paternal genetic material. The prophylaxis hypothesis holds that, during such periods of physiological immune vulnerability, women will engage in increased prophylactic behavior in response to cues associated with pathogen transmission (like sexual cues) to guard against infection. The current study examined disgust and other proposed prophylactic responses (i.e., attention and desire for solitary and dyadic sexual activity) in response to sexual and nonsexual films among naturally cycling women (N = 21) during the follicular and luteal phases of their menstrual cycles. No significant differences were found during the follicular and luteal phase on disgust, attention, or desire for solitary or dyadic sexual activity. Strong negative associations were found between feelings of disgust to sexual stimuli and proposed prophylactic behaviors (attention, desire for sexual activity with a partner) that were most prominent during the luteal phase of women’s menstrual cycles, suggesting that they may have served as a prophylactic mechanism, protecting women’s bodies from infection during a period of immune vulnerability. However, contrary to hypothesis, no significant associations were found between progesterone (the hormone that regulates changes in immune functioning) and proposed prophylactic responses. Further research examining prophylactic effects in response to sexual stimuli is warranted.