Menopause Loss of Libido

Menopause can be a mood killer. In fact, up to 40% of women lose the desire for intimacy during menopause. Maybe sex simply isn’t on your mind as much as it used to be, leaving you out of touch with your sensual self. Perhaps you still experience desire, but menopause symptoms such as vaginal dryness or pain during intercourse detract from the pleasure you could be feeling.

Definition of Menopause Loss of Libido

Many women experience loss of libido during menopause — the sheer lack of sexual desire. For some women, menopausal loss of libido can cause them to feel no sexual desire whatsoever, while others find that the flames of passion quickly become extinguished by menopause symptoms.

About Loss of Libido

It has been proven that when women reach a certain age, they will lose interest in sex. It is not that they hate their partner or got tired of the relationship, but they simply don’t feel like having an intimate relationship anymore. Most of the time, it is the phase when women undergo menopause and perimenopause. Some partners are quite understanding and allow their women get over that phase.

But some don’t even understand what went wrong and will blame everything on her. Even women fail to understand why they are not able to get physically intimate with her partner. Relationships go wrong and both parties fail to understand that this lack of interest, also called loss of libido is reversible and she will come back to her normal state.

Symptoms of Menopause Loss of Libido

Causes of Loss of Libido During Menopause

The good news is that the mystery behind your vanishing sex drive is actually quite simple — and solvable. Hormones play a vital role in female sex drive, and hormonal imbalances experienced during menopause can cause your sex drive to take a nose dive. Here are a few of the reasons that so many women experience loss of libido during menopause.

Lack of Progesterone

Progesterone’s desire-enhancing effects can cause you to feel filled with desire during your fertile years. However, when menopause sets in, progesterone levels decrease, causing a lowered libido to occur.
Estrogen Hormonal Imbalance Menopause also leads to a decrease in the vital female hormone, estrogen. The physical pleasure experienced through touch and intercourse decreases as estrogen becomes imbalanced. Estrogen serves to elevate mood, heighten libido and interest in sexuality, and also makes the genital region more sensitive — leading to heightened pleasure during sex. As estrogen levels decrease, vaginal tissue can also suffer from dryness — and even tissue shrinkage, making intercourse uncomfortable and even painful for some women. However, this often serves to make the situation worse, as less frequent sex often leads increased pain during intercourse.

Testosterone Imbalance

Testosterone can also play an important role in sexuality for women, despite its reputation as a male hormone. Even testosterone levels in women can factor into sensuality, as the hormone drives libido and promotes vaginal lubrication. Fluctuating testosterone levels can lead to less sexual satisfaction and fewer instances of overwhelming sexual desire in women.

Lack of Ovulation

Lack of ovulation can lead to a decrease in sex drive among women, as well — since women’s bodies are primed toward a sexual peak in the days surrounding ovulation. Generally, women are at their most sexual just before ovulating, and for several days thereafter, as the body readies itself for sexual activity during its most fertile time of the month. This part of a woman’s natural cycle of desire has meant sexual desire since puberty — and as ovulation ceases, many women experience a drop in libido.

Menopause Loss of Libido Treatments

For women facing loss of libido during menopause, relationships, mood, and self image can all begin to suffer. Women have a range of options for treating menopausal loss of libido, from natural remedies to hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

Menopause Loss of Libido FAQ’s

FAQ: Can other menopause symptoms also affect loss of libido?
A: Yes. Beyond vaginal symptoms, psychological issues such as depression and mood swings can often cause libido to decrease in menopausal women. Physical exhaustion from hot flashes and night sweats can also result from interrupted sleep, leaving women too fatigued to engage in sexual activity. Urinary incontinence can also result from menopausal hormonal imbalances, leaving women anxious about bladder control during sexual encounters.

FAQ: Do topical hormone creams and ointments offer safe relief of vaginal symptoms during menopause?
A: Topical hormone replacement therapy has experienced conflicting safety reports. However, the FDA states that hormonal creams could pose similar risks for women’s health as orally-administered HRT.

Menopause Loss of Libido Risks

Loss of libido isn’t simply a sexual problem, but can cause emotional and psychological issues for women who lose desire during menopause. Issues such as depression, low self esteem and poor body image can result as you lose your sense of your sexual self. Relationships can suffer, as partners grow to feel estranged and inadequate due to lack of intimacy. Intimate bonding that results from healthy sexual activity with a partner can also become lost, leading to further relationship difficulties. Even when women abstain from sex, vaginal discomfort can still persist, leading to chafing, vaginal atrophy, and even abrasions.