It’s true, if a woman is wearing red or pink she could be signaling her mating call according to a new study. The study reviewed 124 women between the ages of 18 and 47. These women were asked what colour shirt they were wearing and when their last period was. The second question allowed researchers to determine at what point in their cycle these women were. They were able to determine when certain women were at their “peak of fertility,” which would be six to 14 days after their last period.

Those women who were wearing red or pink were three times more likely to be at the “peak of fertility” according to the results of the study.

Alec Beall a doctoral student as the University of British Columbia said a follow-up study is planned where the women are asked the reasoning behind them choosing to wear a specific colour.

The colour red has long been associated with love and passion and studies have proven that men view a picture of a woman with a red border as being more attractive. The researchers also said that women have an increased sexual desire around the time of their peak fertility.

The researchers found in a different follow-up study that the number of women wearing red in summer decreased compared to winter. The possible explanation for this according to Beall is that in winter women are unable to wear less clothes and use the colour as an attention grabber.

Mating calls are often displayed by animals in the wild, but no such display existed for humans. Well, up until now that is. This research shows a possible way in which females display the time they are most “ripe”. The study still needs to be refined; the research needs to be conducted on a wider scale and hormone levels need to be monitored to provide a more accurate result when determing peak fertility.

[Source: Live Science]