Why Your Partner Might Be A Little Extra Possessive At Certain Times Of The Month

If you're like most women, you might not like it when your partner points out certain behaviors of yours as being part of your ovulation cycle. "You're being too sensitive. Is this your time of the month?" "You're awfully irritable. Is your period due anytime soon?" Those are some of the possible questions your significant other might throw at you (along with a sympathetic nod that doesn't make things any better). 

The most perplexing part of it all is not only that your hormones are making you feel and do different things than how you would normally react but also that you yourself are constantly blindsided by all of the changes. From lethargy and acne-prone skin to sudden boosts in energy, it can feel like the list keeps getting longer with every month that passes. 

There are some visible things like tender breasts and a heightened sense of emotions which you've probably gotten accustomed to by now, but did you know that there's a lot more than that going on during your menstrual cycle? Some of these actually go beyond your own partner worrying about how to handle your moods, and actually translate to how they themselves behave around you (finally, a chance to turn the tables around). If you've noticed your significant other becoming a little extra possessive during your times of the month, here's the reason for that.

Since the entire purpose of ovulation is for your uterus to release a mature egg that's ready to be fertilized if the chance arises, it would seem appropriate, evolutionarily at least, for you to look your best in order to attract a possible mate to get the job done. And this is exactly what happens, according to several studies. 

The lead author of one such study who is also a professor of anthropology at Pennsylvania State University, David Puts, told Live Science that the survey's research team "learned beyond a reasonable doubt that women's faces and voices change over the menstrual cycle,and that both men and women perceive this as changes in attractiveness." 

Even your bodily odor is apparently more pleasing to your mate, according to a different study published in 2004. Add to this, your desire to spend more time making yourself look good, per another study published in 2007, and you can see why your partner might become possessive of you.  

Another possible reason for your partner's feelings of jealousy or protectiveness around a particular time of the month could be that you are prone to finding someone different and more attractive when you're fertile. A study published in the journal of Hormones and Behavior found that women tend to find the faces and voices of masculine men more attractive during the time of the month when they're most fertile. This makes their partners exhibit jealous and dominant behavior around their mates, especially when their significant others don't use oral contraception. 

An author of the study Rob Burriss, from the University of Liverpool School of Biological Sciences, told Science Daily that this behavior can be likened to the dominant dynamic that arises between two male chimpanzees when a female is most fertile. "What is interesting here is that male behavior is determined by that of the females; men become warier of masculine-looking men only when the females' facial preferences begin to shift prior to ovulation," he explained. 

Well there you have it. We have evolution and hormones to thank for why, not only you, but your partner is behaving differently during different points of your menstrual cycle. If you're feeling charitable, perhaps you can work on assuaging their feelings of possessiveness by saying certain things to your partner during those times of the month.