Ovulation may shift preferences toward conspicuous luxury

Across 3 studies, higher fertility was associated with greater preference for luxury when it was visible, personally relevant, and potentially noticeable to others.

By
Andrea Surnit
September 10, 2026
4 min

MDSpire News

Objective:

To examine whether women's preferences for conspicuous luxury change across the ovulatory cycle and depend on product visibility and intended use.

Approach:

Study 1: Involved 70 female university students assessing logo sizes for luxury brands intended for themselves or another woman during high and low fertility phases.
Study 2: Included 1,486 women rating purchase intentions for luxury and nonluxury T-shirts, estimating fertility from menstrual-cycle timing.
Study 3: Examined luxury product choice among 966 women based on belief manipulation regarding men's notice of designer clothing.

Key Findings:

Women drew larger luxury logos for themselves during high fertility compared to low fertility.
Purchase intention for publicly worn luxury products was higher during high fertility, while it was lower for privately used luxury products.
When women believed men did not notice designer clothing, luxury-brand selection was similar across fertility phases.

Limitations:

Participants were drawn from convenience samples, leading to exclusions based on eligibility criteria.
Findings may not extend to contexts where luxury is not valued.
Ovulatory status could not be randomly assigned, limiting causal interpretations.