12 Feb Hormonology Guide to the best dates
Whether you want to create lasting memories with a new love or keep the passion alive with your longtime squeeze, you’ll have the most fun on romantic dates when you sync up the activities you do with where you are in your monthly hormone cycle.
That’s because your mood, energy, extroversion, desire for adventure and sex drive all change according to whether you’re in your Week 1, Week 2, Week 3 or Week 4 due to differing hormone levels.
Read on to find out what kind of romantic dates you’ll enjoy most during each week of your cycle….
Week 1: Make it silly
First day of period to Day 7
Play a round of miniature golf, visit an arcade or do anything else that’s the kind of fun you used to enjoy as a kid. Rising estrogen is putting you in the mood to be silly, but it’s still low enough that you have a preference for activities you’ve done before rather than trying something brand-new and slightly dangerous.
By the second half your Week 1, rising estrogen has you enjoying a group date or a date where other people are around since this hormone amps up your desire to socialize.
Thanks to a combination of rising estrogen and nerve endings getting stimulated during menstruation, your sex drive is high this week and orgasms are intense, so you’d likely enjoy an intimate rendezvous.
Have a heavy flow or prefer no-mess sex? Try the Softcup, which is a handy diaphragm-shaped menstrual product that slips inside like a tampon, then unfolds to cover your cervix, discreetly collecting menstrual fluid without your partner feeling it.
Week 2: Rev excitement
Day 8 to ovulation (which is Day 14 in a 28-day cycle)
This is the cycle week that you’ll want to try an activity that’s daring and slightly dangerous, like zip lining, rollercoasters that go in mega-loops, a rock climbing adventure or practically anything else that gets your heart thumping. That’s because high estrogen and testosterone make you bold, confident, impulsive and willing to take a risk. Plus, they trigger a bigger surge of the pleasure-inducing brain chemical dopamine whenever you do new high-flying acts, making them even more fun.
Bonus: Research shows that thrills actually bring you and your honey closer. That’s because you subconsciously attribute the heart-pounding reaction you get from doing the activity with the feelings you have for each other, which revs attraction.
Thanks to high estrogen and testosterone, your sex drive peaks in this cycle week and orgasms are at their highest intensity. Paired with your desire for adventure, this makes it a great time to try out something new between the sheets.
Week 3: Get romantic
Begins day after ovulation and lasts 8 days (which is Day 15 to Day 22 in a 28-day cycle)
Welcome to the B-side of your cycle where you feel totally opposite of how you did during Week 1 and Week 2. Due to rising progesterone–which slows you down, makes you less social and triggers cravings–you prefer fewer people around, quieter settings and, if possible, lots and lots of yummy comfort food within easy reach.
Progesterone, a known libido-quasher, is decreasing your sex drive along with your ability to climax. What’s more, the orgasms you do manage to have are seriously ho-hum compared to last week. However, you still enjoy hand-holding, caresses and other types of warm affection.
This makes it a great week of your cycle to connect with your honey on deeper level in a quiet setting, for instance, over dinner at a romantic restaurant, while taking a leisurely stroll on the beach or as you’re feeding ducks at a pond.
Week 4: Go for giggles and pampering
Final 6 days of your cycle
Your premenstrual week is all about doing activities that buoy your mood by pumping up feel-good brain chemicals, which plunge as estrogen nosedives. And the best way to do that is to plan a date that makes you laugh (for instance, by going to a comedy club or funny movie) or is indulgent (for example, going to a dessert bar or getting massages).
After a one-week hiatus during Week 3, your sex drive and orgasmic ability return, so you may want to take advantage of your increasing libido by enjoying some adult play-time, which also boosts mood-lifting brain chemicals. Just be sure to have a bottle of personal lubricant on hand since plunging estrogen can make lower your vaginal moisture, which can make sex a bit chafey.
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