Polish scientists have shown that female temperament is related to the levels of reproductive hormones – estradiol and progesterone. It is therefore easier for sanguine women to become pregnant than for melancholic women.
Biologists, psychologists and anthropologists from the Polish Academy of Sciences, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (SWPS), the University of Wrocław and the Jagiellonian University were the first in the world to precisely show that women’s temperament is related to the levels of reproductive hormones in the menstrual cycle, and thus with fertility – she informed SWPS spokeswoman Natalia Osica in a release sent to PAP. “The results of the conducted research show that women distinguished by activity, endurance, mental balance and greater resistance to stress have twice as high levels of estradiol than women who are less active, less enduring, more sensitive and less mentally resistant” – reads the release. Researchers have shown that the female type of sanguine has a higher probability of conception. Sanguines also have a better progesterone profile than melancholic women, more conducive to embryo implantation in case of fertilization. “This discovery will help to understand why in vitro procedures are ineffective for some women” – explains Dr. Anna Ziomkiewicz-Wichary, MD, PhD, research coordinator at the Institute of Anthropology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Wrocław. She explains that sometimes in vitro procedures do not bring the expected results, although the woman is healthy from the physiological point of view. “In such cases, instead of using expensive pharmacotherapy, which aims to increase the level of reproductive hormones, psychological treatments can be used to reduce stress, especially since the use of drugs is not indifferent to health” – argues Ziomkiewicz-Wichary.
Dr. Szymon Wichary from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities adds that the solution may be cognitive-behavioral therapy. “There are studies that prove its effectiveness and a positive effect on reproductive functions, including the restoration of ovulation in women with impaired ovulation. Our research suggests that such treatments should be particularly effective for women who are more prone to stress and therefore melancholic in nature, ”she explains.
As scientists explain, temperament influences the stress response, and the main subject of the research is the influence of psychosocial stress on female reproductive functions. Studying the effects of stress would not be possible without examining temperament, and thus individual differences in reactivity to stress.
The project was carried out in the years 2008-2010 – under the supervision of Dr. Anna Ziomkiewicz-Wichary from the Department of Anthropology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Wrocław – a team of scientists consisting of: Dr. Szymon Wichary from the Interdisciplinary Center for Applied Cognitive Research SWPS, MA Dorota Bochenek from the Department of Anthropology UWr, prof. Bogusław Pawłowski from the Department of Anthropology of the University of Wrocław and dr hab. Grażyna Jasieńska from the Department of Epidemiology and Population Research of the Jagiellonian University Medical College.
The research was carried out on a group of 150 women of reproductive age (25-35 years). Every day, during one entire menstrual cycle, the subjects collected urine samples, the analysis of which allowed to determine the level of reproductive hormones – estradiol and progesterone. Participants in the study completed anxiety, stress and temperament questionnaires as well as lifestyle questionnaires regarding diet and physical activity. The subjects were also carefully measured and weighed.
Based on the results of questionnaire studies, scientists distinguished temperamental groups corresponding to popular types of temperament – sanguine and melancholic.