For women, the desire to have sex may greatly diminish between the ages of 34 to 65. While a loss of libido is common in both men and women as they age, it is more often women that are the most affected by this. 

The decreased hormone levels that women experience as they go through the menopause has a direct impact on their sex drive. 

If you are experiencing a drop in your libido, there are ways of overcoming problems in your sex drive. 

In this article, we’ll discuss how you can regain your menopause libido. We’ll explore some of the things that may be putting you off sex when you hit your menopause, and how you can overcome them and reclaim your lost sex drive. 

Menopause and Sex Drive

There are several ways that menopause can cause your libido to diminish. First of all, both your estrogen and testosterone levels will drop. This can make it harder for you to get aroused. 

Then, on top of this, physical changes during menopause such as weight gain can bring about body issues, which can affect desire levels, while hot flushes can leave you feeling too tired to think about having sex. 

Menopause Libido Killer: Pain, Dryness, and Discomfort

Before you hit your menopause, the peak in your libido will be just before you ovulate; however, once your periods have stopped, there is no need for this increase in your sex drive. 

A reduction in the estrogen being produced leads to less blood flowing to the vagina, which in turn leads to dryness. This can also bring about vaginal atrophy, or a thinning of the vaginal wall. 

This dryness and thinning of the vaginal wall can cause pain and discomfort during sex. Once you start to associate an unpleasant feeling with sex, it can be very off-putting. 

To overcome this, use a silicone or water-based lubricant to reduce the friction during sex. There are also low-dose vaginal estrogen creams, rings, and suppositories that may be available from your doctor. 

Having sex regularly can help with the blood flow to your vagina, which, in turn, will reduce the levels of dryness. 

To reduce severe vaginal pain during menopause, it is possible to undergo hormone replacement therapy. 

Stress

Around the time that most women it menopause, they tend to have the most on in their lives. They may be a parent to teenage children; quite often, they are also working while still dealing with housework and paying the bills. 

All of this stress can take its toll on a woman’s sex drive. When all of this is added on top of menopause, it is a lot for any person to deal with. 

The way to deal with this is to make time for your relationship. Plan date nights and schedule a time for intimacy. You may never have needed to do this in the past; however, if your life is busy, it might be essential.  

Take the pressure off yourself by taking the focus on sex. Find other ways to be intimate together by instead enjoying massages, oral sex, and foreplay.

You may also want to consider getting couples counseling together with your partner. You may not have any issues; however, taking a proactive approach may be a good step in maintaining intimacy during this challenging time. 

Mood Disorders 

Around the time that you reach menopause, you may also experience a great deal of depression and anxiety in your life. This can often be attributed to the hormonal changes that you are dealing with. However, other factors in your life may also affect this. 

The chances of developing mood disorders will often peak for women during their menopause transition. 

While mood disorders in themselves are enough to affect your libido, the medication that is generally prescribed for the treatment of depression and anxiety can also add to the low sex drive. 

If you are experiencing depression and you are concerned about the impact that SSRI antidepressants may have on your libido, speak with your doctor. There are non-SSRI antidepressants available, which shouldn’t affect your desire. 

Another option for dealing with your depression is through talking therapy. 

Other Concerns 

Several other issues may affect your libido as you age. Your body will be changing. Your hair may have gone grey, and you may have put on a few pounds. Your skin may have become loose or wrinkly. 

You may have also developed bladder problems as well as thyroid issues. 

All of these problems can mount up to you not feeling great about who you are both emotionally and physically. 

Combatting these other issues can be less straightforward. There are several things that you can be doing that will help your sexual health as you age. 

Exercise 

Exercising will not only help you overcome issues that you may be experiencing surrounding weight gain, but it may also be helpful for your mental health too. 

If you’re new to exercise, start off short and gentle and work up. Think about picking an activity that you know that you will enjoy rather than forcing yourself to do something that you’ll dislike. 

Communicate With Your Partner

To keep intimacy between you and your partner alive, you will need to maintain open and honest communication at all times. Speak to them about your experience of the menopause and make sure they understand how you are feeling right now. 

Kegel Exercises 

To improve the sensation that you feel during sex, you should perform kegel exercises. Contract your pelvic floor muscle and hold this for five seconds. Then slowly release it for another five seconds. Repeat this exercise ten times. 

Getting the Right Treatment 

Regaining your menopause libido takes a combination of different things. You will need to learn to be kind to yourself during the process of restoring your sex drive. 

Revital can help with Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy. 

Get in touch today to find out how Revital can give your libido a whole new lease of life.