The sexual behavior of female rats with bilateral lesions in the medial preoptic area (MPOA) was examined in two testing conditions. In the first condition, in which the female could not leave the vicinity of males (no-exit test), lordosis quotients (LQs) were elevated in relation to baseline levels. In the second condition, in which the female could control her proximity to males (exit test), LQs were not different from control levels, and experimental subjects permitted fewer copulatory contacts, exhibited less frequent solicitational behavior, and spent less time with males than the controls did. These findings suggest that the higher LQs seen in no-exit tests as a result of MPOA damage are not due to a lesion-induced potentiation in the females' preference to engage in sexual contacts with males.