Effects of hormones on sexual motivation

In most mammalian species, sex hormones control the ability and motivation to engage in sexual behaviours.

Self-report techniques such as the bogus pipeline can be used to ensure individuals do not falsify their answers to represent socially desirable results.

Testosterone appears to be a major contributing factor to sexual motivation in male primates, including humans.

[1] Male humans who had their testicular function suppressed with a GnRH antagonist displayed decreases in sexual desire and masturbation two weeks following the procedure.

Ultimately, these higher levels of testosterone may increase the reproductive success of males exposed to female ovulation cues.

In particular, studies with rhesus macaques have observed testosterone was not significantly associated with variations in level of sexual motivation in females.

[4] Later studies revealed this diminished sexual receptivity was specific to the elimination of androgens that can be converted to estrogen.

[9] Ovulating heterosexual females also display preferences toward masculine faces and report greater sexual attraction to males other than their current partner.

Vasopressin levels have been shown to increase during erectile response in male sexual arousal, and decrease back to baseline following ejaculation.

Vasopressin administered in the female rat brain has been observed to result in an immediate decrease in sexual motivation.

One study observed the relationship between sexual motivation in lesbian and bisexual women and period-related changes in circulating estrogen concentrations.