Effects of fragrance on female sexual arousal and mood across the menstrual cycle

The effects of fragrance on sexual response in women Mere investigated usin g subjective and physiological measures of sexual arousal and of mood. Resp onses were obtained from female participants in three different fragrance c onditions (female fragrance, male fragrance, and a "blank" or neutral subst ance), as they viewed erotic and sexually neutral films, and fantasized abo ut sexual situations. Each woman was tested twice: during the midfollicular and periovulatory phases of her menstrual cycle. Menstrual cycle phase eff ects were apparent: self-report data indicated greater sexual arousal and m ore positive mood during the periovulatory than during the follicular phase . Results demonstrated a positive effect of the male fragrance on genital a rousal during erotic fantasy, but this finding was apparent only during the follicular phase testing session. This effect did not appear to be mediate d by any effects of fragrance on mood.