Women’s lives can be so busy that the onset and progression through symptoms of menopause can disrupt every aspect of life. Waning libido, or sex drive is a common concern for women between the ages of 45 and 55 and their partners. With a cacophony of metabolic changes occurring to women’s bodies, it is no wonder they are stressed. Finding ways to relax, rejuvenate and renew a waning libido may be as simple as understanding how fluctuating hormones affect women’s body’s.
Libido, a psychological term describing sexual desire is complicated. Women become sexually aroused emotionally and physically as they age. Even before menopause, women may find sexual intimacy difficult. With body image, life experiences and expectations, sharing intimacy and letting go of control at any time during women’s lives can be a daunting process.
Symptoms
As estrogen and progesterone production slows hormone imbalances occur. These changes in hormone levels signal the end of fertility but also disrupt a variety of bodily functions. Sex drive, restful sleep, concentration, regulated body temperatures, and genital lubrication diminish as the body attempts to adjust to hormone fluctuations. Daily stress, fatigue, irritability, apathy, lifestyle, medications, and self-image influence women’s desire for sexual intimacy.With a variety of new barriers to lovemaking come a renewed passion, vibrancy, and powerful sexual freedom. Sex is complicated for men and women as they mature because arousal can require more time, varied stimulation, and more work. Lust can wane but desire for mature women comes from trust and emotional connection.
Enhancing Libido
With a few simple lifestyle adjustments, women can increase their libido for a fulfilling and rich sex life. Diet, exercise, and herbal treatments can increase sex drive. Healthy eating, increased activity, and herbs that boost energy, sex drive and help fight fatigue will help women adjust to hormonal fluctuations. A diet rich in fish, fruit, vegetables, and legumes can boost metabolism, increasing sexual desire. Exercise lowers stress and reduces the production of cortisol that causes weight gain.Exercise also increases endorphin production in the body that also increases libido. Talking about sex can be embarrassing but not talking can increase feelings of frustration, guilt, anxiety, and unrealistic expectations. Talking about these feelings with a partner, expressing unfulfilled fantasies and dreams, as well as explaining the changes occurring in women’s body can help their partners to avoid feeling slighted.
Hormone creams can be prescribed by a medical health professional. These creams are created for the individual woman’s needs. The specific combination of hormones can reduce vaginal dryness, waning sex drive, mood swings, and genital sensitivity. The creams, applied directly to the surface of the genitals and the ovaries can increase desire, quickly. Other homeopathic remedies such as non-estrogenic herbs, those that do not include synthetic estrogen, nourish the pituitary and endocrine glands to produce estrogen and progesterone, naturally increase libido.
Women who find they are unable to talk with their partners about intimacy should consult a therapist or a medical health professional to understand their symptoms and their sexuality. Women from a family or culture in which sex was taboo or a woman’s duty will gain comfort from exploring their concerns with like-minded peers or researching their questions on-line, especially women with daughters. When the time comes, women need feel comfortable talking about sex with the next generation. Read more about ways to boost your libido and bring back the romance.
