How does menopause affect sex life?
Today, we know that most women remain sexually active after the age of 50. Many factors, in addition to hormones, influence how sex life evolves with age.
These factors include social life, personality traits, physical and psychological conditions, the relationship with the partner, as well as how the woman herself expects her sex life to evolve.
A recent study aimed to analyze the role of various factors in the sex lives of women aged 45-55 as they approach menopause. The study compared premenopausal women with postmenopausal women.
The findings showed that women did not differ in terms of sexual activity, sexual practices, sexual dysfunctions, or satisfaction. Additionally, both groups placed equal importance on sex.
What Role Do Women’s Expectations Play?
An important difference revealed in the study concerned women’s expectations of their sex lives. Postmenopausal women who did not receive hormone therapy, although they did not differ in levels of sexual activity from premenopausal women, were more likely to consider the absence of sexual contact for 3 months as not problematic for their relationship.
This difference was not found between postmenopausal women receiving hormone therapy and premenopausal women. In other words, it appeared that in women at the beginning of menopause, biological-hormonal factors do not negatively affect sexual life. Therefore, any negative effects on sexuality are more likely due to negative beliefs and expectations rather than hormonal changes.
Reference: Ringa V, Diter K, Laborde C et al. (2013) Women’s sexuality: from aging to social representations. J Sex Med 10:2399-2408.
