Sex Around Menopause
August 26th, 2015
The article was initially going to be called “Sex After Menopause” but it’s so multifaceted I changed it. I always thought it was just a cruel taunt to tell women that their vaginas would dry up and shrivel away but it’s somewhat true. The decrease in estrogen also comes with depreciated blood flow to the vaginal area. The walls of the vagina also become thinner. But before young ladies get too bummed out over this they should know the “shrivel away” portion of the taunt is optional. It turns out that “use it or loose it’ stands true with menopause. Sex increases the blood flow and promotes vaginal health.
Perimenopause somewhere around the age of 40 is marked by missing some menstruation cycles. When you miss 12 consecutive periods your in menopause. For a very small percentage of women this doesn’t happen until about 60. For the rest of you it will happen between 40 and 50. Smokers tend to experience it younger. A woman can still get pregenant during perimenopause unlike menopause. Perimenopause is the gradual precursor to menopause. Thank God it doesn’t happen overnight. The ovaries start to produce fewer and fewer eggs. There is also a decrease in collagen. Collagen gives your skin that plump fleshy look. Along with that decrease your skin loses elasticity. You may get facial hair and believe or not acne. Your cognition may become more dull and dry skin to boot.
There’s a lot to get depressed about but many things in the extensive list above can be treated. Even painful sex can be easily avoided by using a water soluble lubricant. If you don’t have partner for sex masturbation can get the same desired result. Here’s what the folks at WebMD had to say about it. “Make more time for sex. Try massage and other acts short of intercourse. Use erotica and new-for-you sex routines as ways to build desire, too. Other causes besides hormone changes can strike at the same time. Ask a doctor about poor sleep, bladder trouble, or feeling depressed or stressed”. 8 Reasons Sex Is Better After 50 is an article about keeping the desire alive after 50. I really hope this is the case
There are a number of medical procedures that can bring on Menopause. Those include surgical removal of the ovaries (bilateral oopharectomy), chemotherapy, and pelvic radiation therapy. Having a hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus) without removing the ovaries does not lead to menopause. Two of the greatest dangers to menopausal women is osteoporosis and heart disease (heart disease is the number one killer of women in the U.S).
This is the first time I’ve ever heard of “Bioidentical hormone therapy” for menopausal symptoms. It can refer to certain FDA-approved prescription drugs or it can refer to custom-compounded hormones derived from plants prepared at compounding pharmacies to match each unique patient. Some doctors claim that compounded bioidentical hormones are safer, but the FDA isn’t convinced. The FDA’s advice — take the lowest dose for the shortest time — applies to bioidentical hormone therapy. Custom-compounded bioidentical hormones aren’t FDA approved”. How could they be each one is different. So even though it doesn’t have FDA approval doesn’t necessarily mean it’s dangerous. There is however the danger of cancer with hormone replacement therapy.
I think it’s fitting to end this article with love. Most women’s sex drives are negotiated by emotional attachment; at least in part. Think the older I get the more I share that characteristic. My woman (in her 40’s) is every bit as physically attractive to me as Beyonce’, Jennifer Lopez, or Michelle Pfeiffer and unlike these other women I love her. Hopefully I can compare with Sylvester Stallone and Vin Diesel in her heart. If so, these enchantments will take us all the way through menopause. Until next time, keep your homes well.
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