| Comparative Table Showing the Duration of the Sexual Life in Various Nationalities. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany. | Austria. | France. | England. | Denmark. | Norway. | Russia. | |
| Number of Cases | 722 | 265 | 178 | 500 | 312 | 391 | 100 |
| Mean duration of menstrual activity, in years | 30.4 | 29.1 | 29.1 | 31.8 | 27.9 | 32 | 31 |
| Observers’ names | Krieger, L. Mayer. | Szukits. | Brierre de Boismont. | Whitehead. | Hannover. | Faye & Vogt. | Lieven. |
In the temperate zone the sexual life of woman lasts longer than in the colder and subarctic regions. Still more favorable is the contrast between the temperate zone and the countries of the tropics, in which the duration of the period of menstrual activity is limited to eighteen or twenty years. According to some isolated observations the duration of sexual activity in Arabian women in Africa was as little as nine years.
A certain influence on the duration of the sexual life is exercised by the commencement of menstruation at an earlier or later age than the average. The total duration of menstrual activity is more variable in women who begin to menstruate early than in women who begin to menstruate late, in whom the duration of the sexual life is a more regular one. In those women who begin to menstruate early the mean duration of the sexual life is about thirty-three years, in those who begin to menstruate late it is about twenty-seven years.
The following data, based on the observation of 250 cases, are published by W. Guy, regarding the duration of the sexual life, that is to say of menstrual activity, in women beginning to menstruate early and those beginning to menstruate late, respectively:
| Menstruation began. | Duration of the sexual life. | |
|---|---|---|
| In | 5 cases in the 8th to the 10th year | Averaging 36.60 years. |
| In | 70 cases in the 11th to the 13th year | Averaging 33.65 years. |
| In | 110 cases in the 14th to the 16th year | Averaging 30.85 years. |
| In | 56 cases in the 17th to the 19th year | Averaging 28.35 years. |
| In | 9 cases in the 20th year or later | Averaging 20.45 years. |
A further analysis of these 250 cases is given by Guy in the following table:
| First appearance of menstruation. | Average age at which menstruation ceased, in years. | Duration of menstrual activity. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In | 1 case in the | 8th year | 42 | 34 years. |
| In | 2 cases in the | 9th year | 46 | 37 years. |
| In | 2 cases in the | 10th year | 47 | 37 years. |
| In | 10 cases in the | 11th year | 47.10 | 36.10 years. |
| In | 29 cases in the | 12th year | 45.34 | 33.34 years. |
| In | 31 cases in the | 13th year | 46.16 | 33.16 years. |
| In | 39 cases in the | 14th year | 45.33 | 31.33 years. |
| In | 40 cases in the | 15th year | 46.30 | 31.30 years. |
| In | 41 cases in the | 16th year | 46.14 | 30.14 years. |
| In | 26 cases in the | 17th year | 45.18 | 28.18 years. |
| In | 19 cases in the | 18th year | 46.87 | 28.87 years. |
| In | 11 cases in the | 19th year | 46.18 | 27.18 years. |
| In | 5 cases in the | 20th year | 40.80 | 20.80 years. |
| In | 3 cases in the | 21st year | 41.66 | 20.66 years. |
| In | 1 case in the | 23d year | 41 | 18 years. |
Hannover also gives data respecting the relation between the duration of menstrual activity and the early or late appearance of menstruation. These data are tabulated as follows:
| First appearance of menstruation. | Average age at which menstruation ceased, in years. | Duration of menstrual activity. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In | 5 cases in the | 12th year | 47.80 | 35.80 years. |
| In | 10 cases in the | 13th year | 45.89 | 32.89 years. |
| In | 50 cases in the | 14th year | 44.98 | 30.98 years. |
| In | 34 cases in the | 15th year | 45.56 | 30.56 years. |
| In | 38 cases in the | 16th year | 44.13 | 29.13 years. |
| In | 36 cases in the | 17th year | 43.00 | 26.00 years. |
| In | 49 cases in the | 18th year | 44.96 | 26.96 years. |
| In | 33 cases in the | 19th year | 44.79 | 25.79 years. |
| In | 38 cases in the | 20th year | 45.36 | 25.36 years. |
| In | 10 cases in the | 21st year | 44.10 | 23.10 years. |
| In | 4 cases in the | 22d year | 43.50 | 21.50 years. |
| In | 3 cases in the | 23d year | 44.33 | 21.33 years. |
| In | 4 cases in the | 24th year | 39.50 | 15.50 years. |
Totals: In 412 cases the average age at the menopause was 44.82, and the average duration of menstrual activity was 27.973 years.