Sexuality: How menopause affects your love life
For many women, menopause also undergoes hormonal changes, as do their living conditions. This often affects their sex life. / © Shutterstock/Alessandro Pintus
As early as the mid-40s, the ovaries begin to produce noticeably fewer sex hormones. However, most experts believe that the fact that 30 to 70 percent of all women complain of low sexual desire in midlife cannot be explained solely by the decline in hormones.
During perimenopause, the first phase of menopause until the last period, progesterone levels drop. The corpus luteum hormone tends to dampen libido, but inhibits stress reactions and promotes relaxation. The effect of the decline in progesterone on sex life therefore varies from person to person. Estrogens promote vaginal blood flow and lubrication, thereby indirectly influencing sexual desire. Relative estrogen dominance often occurs during perimenopause—which can theoretically even fuel sexual interest.
Testosterone is the most powerful regulator of sex drive – even in women. Although this male hormone declines with age, it is not subject to such extreme changes during menopause as female sex hormones. Therefore, after menopause, its levels are higher relative to estrogen and progesterone than during the fertile years.
Parallel to the hormonal changes, menopause is also characterized by a change in life circumstances. Some women are starting a new career, at home, pubescent children may be a strain, and at the same time, their own parents often need increasing support. Relationships are also often in crisis. All of this causes stress, which negatively impacts libido: It inhibits the production of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which plays a key role in regulating sexual desire.
pharmazeutische-zeitung
