First of all, rest assured that horniness before your period is totally normal. Hormones fluctuate during your menstrual cycle, meaning your sex drive often ebbs and flows throughout the month.
When you ovulate (which happens around day 14), you experience an uptick in luteinizing hormone and progesterone as your body releases an egg for implantation. This is the point in your cycle when you’re the most fertile, so it makes sense that you may crave sex more than usual for a few days.
Dr. Lauren Streicher, OB/GYN, explains that ovulation is the time when most people experience an uptick in sex drive: “Biologically, the purpose of having sex, of course, is to reproduce. So, you want people to be incentivized to have sex at their most fertile time, and for most people that’s 14 days before their period.”
She explains that there’s a peak in testosterone midcycle, which often leads to an increase in libido. Right before your period, though, your body isn’t especially fertile… so why would you be noticeably horny?
Surprisingly, not much is known about the reason for pre-period sexual arousal. Everyone’s body is different, and it really comes down to your particular cycle and how it affects your mood.
One theory about pre-period horniness has to do with the vaginal discharge your body releases during the luteal phase (as it sheds the uterine lining before your period begins). You’ll typically experience more discharge than usual during this time, so you may feel wetter more quickly when aroused.
Some women say PMS bloating actually puts pressure on the G-spot area, making it easier for them to orgasm. There’s no conclusive scientific evidence to support this idea — but if it feels good to you, then by all means, go ahead and get it on.
Streicher explains that for many people, the days before their period feel anything but sexy.
“If they have PMS symptoms, and they’re feeling bloated and have tender breasts and are on the moody side,” she notes that they probably won’t feel like having sex. And that’s OK too. There’s no right or wrong time to have sex for pleasure’s sake.