What You Should Know About Sex After Menopause
Age alone doesn’t limit your sex life. You can and should enjoy great sex whenever you desire at every age. But there’s no denying the fact that many women experience physical changes after menopause that halt their sex life. More than one in three women struggle with sex after menopause. Suddenly, they can’t enjoy sex because it’s painful. Or, their sexual desire (libido) plummets, causing frustration for them and their partner. Whether you already face or plan to prevent these challenges, you can count on getting straight talk and learning everything you need to know about menopause at Women’s Wellness MD. Dr. Chetanna Okasi, MD, explains the sexual challenges women face. More importantly, she has solutions so you can regain a healthy, enjoyable sex life. For more information, contact us or request an appointment online. We have convenient locations to serve you in Columbia, MD & Greenbelt, MD.
Table of Contents:
Hot flashes and night sweats
Painful sex
Change in sexual response
Loss of sexual desire
Mood swings
Urinary tract changes
Treatment improves your sex life
We recommend personalized treatments to overcome menopause challenges, including the following problems:
Hot flashes and night sweats (vasomotor symptoms) seldom cause postmenopausal sexual problems. We’re mentioning them because they affect up to 80% of women and can interfere with sex if the discomfort and profuse sweating strike at the wrong time.
The good news is that these episodes typically last five minutes or less (for most women), allowing you to let it pass and then refocus on your partner.
When estrogen production stops at menopause, the vaginal tissues become thin, dry, and fragile, resulting in pain during intercourse. This condition, vaginal atrophy, affects at least half of women.
Additionally, the glands that release extra lubrication when you’re sexually aroused shrink after menopause. As a result, you have less of the lubrication needed to reduce friction and ensure you have enjoyable, pain-free sex.
Low estrogen affects circulation, reducing the blood flow to your clitoris, vulva, and vagina. This change means you may need more time to become sexually aroused and may not have the same sensitivity during stress. You may enjoy sex less or find it difficult to orgasm.
The physical changes described above can reduce your libido. Your sexual desire also drops because progesterone and testosterone levels fall during menopause. Both hormones are necessary for a healthy libido.
Did you know that estrogen regulates brain activity related to your mood? That’s why menopause often leads to mood swings, depression, stress, and irritability — emotional challenges affecting your sexual desire.
The same changes that occur in vaginal tissues affect your urinary tract, increasing your risk of developing urinary tract infections (UTIs) and urinary incontinence.
UTIs occur as weakened muscles let more bacteria into the urethra. At the same time, thinning tissues make it easier for the infection to take hold.
One UTI won’t affect sex. However, more than half of women develop recurrent UTIs after menopause. Frequently dealing with UTI symptoms can put a damper on your sex life.
Urinary incontinence, another common menopause-related problem, may have a significant impact. Urine may leak during intercourse or orgasm. Worrying about the embarrassment over urine leakage can quickly ruin your desire for sex.
You can reclaim your sex life with treatments targeting your menopause challenges. We always tailor your care based on your symptoms and their severity. You may only need a topical lubricant or moisturizer to make sex more enjoyable.
Or, we may recommend bioidentical hormone replacement therapy to restore healthy estrogen levels and prevent or reverse the changes affecting your sexual enjoyment.
Don’t wait to improve your postmenopausal sex life. For more information, contact us or request an appointment online. We have convenient locations to serve you in Columbia, MD & Greenbelt, MD. We serve patients from Columbia MD, Greenbelt MD, Ellicott City MD, Jessup MD, Savage MD, New Carrollton MD, College Park MD, Beltsville MD, Bowie MD, and surrounding areas.
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