Perimenopause and menopause are a time of so much change. Women’s bodies may be in an uproar of hot flashes, mood swings and weight gain. At the same time women are often under more stress with teenagers in the household, aging parents, greater demands at work, and relationship problems with their partners. Sex may not seem as important as it once was.
For some women, dysfunction or dissatisfaction is defined by a loss of interest in sex (low libido) and the inability to become aroused or to achieve orgasm. Several factors may hinder the sexual response cycle, such as alcohol, depression or anxiety, emotional problems (distraction), illness, negative body perception and stress.
The physical and emotional factors that can affect a woman’s sex drive are interdependent. Hormonal imbalance is the simplest cause of low libido and stress is an enormous factor. The body naturally puts survival ahead of pleasure. Over-burdened adrenals (stress gland) can rob your body of the building blocks it uses to make estrogen and testosterone, which are vital to desire and sexual response. A lifetime of low-fat chronic dieting can create the preconditions of hormonal imbalance because your body needs lipids to make its hormones. This can also have an impact on your energy and self-image, and therefore on your sex drive.
There are two perspectives on the causes for female sexual dysfunction. One concept, the vascular theory, is that diminished blood flow to the pelvic region due to a medical condition, aging, or stress causes reduced sensitivity and dryness and impairs arousal. The hormone theory focuses on decreased levels of sex hormones, estrogen and testosterone, caused by aging. The drop in estrogen can create thinning, tightening, and dryness in the vagina. These changes can lead to such discomfort that some women come to dread sex because of the pain.
In truth, a woman’s sexuality changes in perimenopause and menopause. Instead of giving up, or trying to hold on to how things were in the past, welcome this change. For some women, hormone replacement therapy can lead to greater sexual desire. You really can find your way to a sexuality that suits you now — hopefully better than ever.
For more information call Caring for You at 661-284-2400.