Lordosis behavior



Lordosis behavior, or mammalian lordosis, is a sexual response in mammals, such as mice and cats, that consists of a ventral arching of the spine. During lordosis, the spine curves so that the apex points in the ventral direction. That is, the spine arches inward toward the abdomen.

Lordosis aids in copulation, as it elevates the hips to allow for intercourse. It is commonly seen in females during estrus. It changes the pelvic tilt in an anterior way, with the posterior pelvis rising up, the bottom angling backward and the front angling downward.

During estrus in female mice, the hormone estradiol (a hormone of the class of hormones known as estrogens) affects neurons in the ventromedial hypothalamus, the periaqueductal gray, and other areas of the brain. Sexual stimuli trigger activity in a number of brain areas, including the ventromedial hypothalamus, which sends impulses down axons synapsing with neurons in the periaqueductal gray. These convey an impulse to neurons in the medullary reticular formation which project down the reticulospinal tract and synapse with afferent neurons in the spinal cord (L1-L6) which contract muscles along the spine to exhibit the lordosis posture. Since these afferent neurons are also part of a reflex arc, lordosis can also be triggered reflexively.

The anthropologist Helen Fisher speculates that women wearing high heels demonstrate lordosis behavior.