Rape avoidance over the menstrual cycle: An examination of the underlying psychological and physiological mechanisms

Fertile women may have inherent rape-avoidance mechanisms according to past research, with women differentially responding to a scenario implying rape compared to a control scenario when fertile (Petralia & Gallup, 2002). However, it is unclear whether these results mean that fertile women are responding to rape cues specifically, or physical danger cues more generally. Furthermore, the psychological and physiological mechanisms that motivate risk aversion are unknown. In this study, naturally cycling (NC) and hormonal contraceptive (HC) using females (N = 32) participated at two specific points of their menstrual cycle; during a phase of low and peak fertility in NC participants. Psychological and physiological responses to Petralia and Gallup’s (2002) original two scenarios, as well as three new scenarios, varying in risk of rape versus physical danger, were measured. HC participants’ responses did not fluctuate across testing sessions. For NC participants, there was an interaction between fertility status and scenario-type: handgrip was stronger for women when fertile following all scenarios involving males, even if there was no risk of rape or physical danger depicted. The results, therefore, indicate women are more responsive to scenarios involving men during peak fertility.