Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T01:37:45.239Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Coitus-Induced Ovulation and Its Implications for Estimates of Some Reproductive Parameters

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

William H. James
William H. James*
Affiliation:
MRC Mammalian Development Unit, University College, London
*
MRC Mammalian Development Unit, 4 Stephenson Way, London NW1 2HF, U.K.

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

It is estimated here that, at the time of conception, the mean coital rate of young women who subsequently bear DZ twins is about 6% higher than that of the general population of young married women. This differential seems too small to account wholly for the greater promptness in conceiving DZ twins. Accordingly, it is suggested that coital rate is associated with DZ twinning in two ways. The major link seems to be indirect and mediated by erotic response which causes an increase in gonadotrophin levels and thus in double ovulation. In a minority of cases, frequent coitus may give rise to DZ twins via superfecundation, but it seems that, in human beings, the corpus luteum of one ovum will usually inhibit fertilization of any further ova after a short interval. The evidence presented here, though indirect, seems to suggest that, under particularly erotic conditions, double ovulation is sometimes induced. It seems reasonable to infer that coitus also occasionally provokes or accelerates single ovulations, thus impugning some rhythm methods of contraception. But there seems no very good evidence that rape induces ovulation. Some notes are added on the implications of induced ovulation for estimates of fecundability and of the length of the fertile period.

Keywords

CoitusOvulationTwinningFecundabilityGonadotrophinsRapeContraception
Type
Research Article
Information
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiae: twin research , Volume 33 , Issue 4 , October 1984 , pp. 547 - 555
Copyright
Copyright © The International Society for Twin Studies 1990

References

REFERENCES

1. Allen, G (1981): The twinning and fertility paradox. Progr Clin Biol Res 69A:1–13.Google ScholarPubMed
2. Allen, G 1982: Reply to W.H. James. Acta Genet Med Gemellol 31:121–126.Google Scholar
3. Allen, G, Schachter, J 1971: Ease of conception in mothers of twins. Soc Biol 18:18–27.10.1080/19485565.1971.9987896CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
4. Barrett, JC, Marshall, J (1969): The risk of conception on different days of the menstrual cycle. Popul Stud 23:455.10.1080/00324728.1969.10405297CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5. Brewer, JI, Jones, HO (1941): A study of the corpora lutea and the endometrium in patients with uterine fibroids. Am J Obstet Gynecol 41:733.10.1016/S0002-9378(41)90861-XCrossRefGoogle Scholar
6. Buhner, MG (1959): The effect of parental age, parity and duration of marriage on the twinning rate. Ann Hum Genet 23:454–458.Google Scholar
7. Carstensen, H, Amèr, I, Wide, L, Amèr, B (1973); Plasma testosterone, LH and FSH during the first 24 hours after surgical operation. J Steroid Biochem 4:605.10.1016/0022-4731(73)90035-6CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8. Davidson, JM, Trupin, S (1975): Neural mediation of steroid induced sexual behavior in rats. In Sandler, M, Gessa, GL (eds): Sexual, Behavior, Pharmacology and Biochemistry. New York: Raven, p 13–20.Google Scholar
9. Fox, CA, Fox, B 1971: A comparative study of coital physiology with special reference to the sexual climax. J Reprod Fertil 24:319–336.10.1530/jrf.0.0240319CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10. Groth, AN, Burgess, AW (1977): Sexual dysfunction during rape. New Engl Med 297:764–766.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11. Hayman, CR, Lanza, C, Fuentes, R 1969: Sexual assault on women and girls in the District of Columbia. South Med J 62:1227–1231.10.1097/00007611-196910000-00017CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12. James, WH 1965: Letter to the Editor. Popul Stud 19:97–99.Google Scholar
13. James, WH 1972: Coital rates and dizygotic twinning. J Biosoc Sci 4:101–105.10.1017/S0021932000008361CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
14. James, WH 1973: The fecundability of U.S. women. Popul Stud 27:493–500.10.1080/00324728.1973.10405496CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
15. James, WH (1978): A hypothesis on the declining dizygotic twinning rates in developed countries. Prog Clin Biol Res 24B:81–88.Google Scholar
16. James, WH 1978: The length of the human fertile period. Popul Stud 32:187–194.10.1080/00324728.1978.10412800CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
17. James, WH 1981: Dizygotic twinning, marital stage and status and coital rates. Ann Hum Biol 8:371–378.10.1080/03014468100005171CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
18. James, WH 1981: Variation between couples of human coital rates. J Biosoc Sci 13:151–156.10.1017/S0021932000013316CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19. James, WH (1981): Has fecundability been declining in recent years in developed countries? J Biosoc Sci 13:419–424.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
20. James, WH 1981: Distributions of coital rates and of fecundability. Soc Biol 28:334–341.Google ScholarPubMed
21. James, WH 1982: Dizygotic twinning, birth order, female psychology and coital rates. Acta Genet Med Gemellol 31:119–120.Google ScholarPubMed
22. James, WH 1983: Decline in coital rates with spouses' ages and duration of marriage. J Biosoc Sci 15:83–87.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
23. Jochle, W 1973: Coitus induced ovulation. Contraception 7:523–564.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
24. La Ferla, JJ, Anderson, DL, Schalch, DS (1976): Psychoendocrine response to visual erotic stimulation in human males. Psychosom Med 38:62.Google Scholar
25. La Ferla, JJ, Anderson, DL, Schalch, DS 1978: Psychoendocrine response to sexual arousal in human males. Psychosom Med 40:166–172.10.1097/00006842-197803000-00007CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
26. La Ferla, JJ, Labrum, AH, Tang, K (1980): Psychoendocrine response to sexual arousal in human females. Paper presented at the Sixth International Congress of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology. West Berlin, 09 2nd-6th.Google Scholar
27. Lee, PA, Jaffe, RB, Midgley, AR 1974: Lack of alteration of serum gonadotropins in men and women following sexual intercourse. Am J Obstet Gynecol 120:985–987.10.1016/0002-9378(74)90351-2CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
28. Majumdar, H, Sheps, MC (1970): Estimators of a Type 1 geometric distribution from observations on conception times. Demography 7:349.10.2307/2060154CrossRefGoogle Scholar
29. Massey, JB, Garcia, CR, Emich, JP 1971: Management of sexually assaulted females. Obstet Gynecol 38:29–36.Google ScholarPubMed
30. Milham, S (1964): Pituitary gonadotropin and dizygotic twinning. Lancet ii:566.10.1016/S0140-6736(64)90626-9CrossRefGoogle Scholar
31. Morris, NM, Udry, JR, Underwood, LE 1977: A study of the relationship between coitus and the luteinizing hormone surge. Fertil Steril 28:440–442.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
32. Parisi, P, Caperna, G (1981): The changing incidence of twinning: One century of Italian statistics. Gedda, L, Parisi, P, Nance, WE (eds): Twin Research 3. Part A: Twin Biology and Multiple Pregnancy. New York: AR Liss, p 35–48.Google Scholar
33. Parisi, P, Caperna, G (1982): Twinning rates, fertillity and industrialization: A secular study. In Bonné-Tamir, B et al (eds): Human Genetics. Part A: The Unfolding Genome. New York: AR Liss, p 375–394.Google Scholar
34. Parkes, AS (1971): Private communication cited by Fox and Fox [9].Google Scholar
35. Parkes, AS (1976): Patterns of Sexuality and Reproduction. London: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
36. Pollard, GN 1969: Multiple births in Australia, 1944-63. J Biosoc Sci 1:389–404.10.1017/S0021932000007355CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
37. Potter, RG (1961): Length of the fertile period. Milbank Memorial Fund Quarterly 39:132.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
38. Royston, JP 1982: Basal body temperature, ovulation and the risk of conception with special reference to the lifetimes of sperm and egg. Biometrics 38:397–406.10.2307/2530453CrossRefGoogle Scholar
39. Soules, MR, Sutton, GP, Hammond, CB, Haney, AF 1980: Endocrine changes at operation under general anesthesia: reproductive hormone fluctuations in young women. Fertil Steril 33:364–371.10.1016/S0015-0282(16)44650-9CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
40. Stearns, EL, Winter, JSD, Faiman, 1973: Effects of coitus on gonadotropin, prolactin, and sex steroid levels in man. J Clin Endocrinol Metabol 37:687–691.10.1210/jcem-37-5-687CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
41. Stieve, H (1952): Der Einfluss des Nervensystems auf Bau und Tätigkeit der Geschlechtsorgane des Menschen. Stuttgart: Georg Thieme Verlag.Google Scholar
42. Szalay, S, Kemeter, P, Feichtinger, W, Beck, A, Janisch, H, Neumark, J 1982: The behavior of LH, FSH, PRL, T, P, estradiol and Cortisol under different kinds of anesthesias during laparoscopic oocyte recovery for in vitro fertillization. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 13:37–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar