Menopause Loss of Libido
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.
Information About Loss Of Libido During Menopause
Losing the libido is a complicated problem that has physical, emotional, mental, and hormonal effects. It is just as complex as the women that get them. The word libido often describes a person’s sex drive or their want for sex. Losing the libido is medically referred to as “hypoactive sexual desire disorder”. It equals a lack of interest or reduction in desire for sex. Libido loss is characterized by not desiring or being interested in having sex. Most women who experience loss of libido discover that they are out of touch with their sexuality. Feelings for sex are less frequent and energy that is used for sex dramatically wanes or can totally disappear from the life of a woman.
Losing the libido is different from being unable to get aroused or experience orgasm. However, women going through menopause may feel these symptoms of sexual dysfunction. Menopause brings other symptoms as well, like vaginal dryness or irritation, which can be linked to loss of libido.
What Causes Loss Of Libido?
Similar to other symptoms of menopause, the major cause of loss in libido stems from imbalanced hormones. However, mental, physical, and issues that arise in relationships, can also affect a woman’s libido during the menopausal stage.
Hormonal Causes Of Libido Loss
Throughout menopause, one of the most usual causes of libido loss is imbalance of hormones. As the levels of the three major hormones becomes reduced, it leads to the reduction in energy and sex drive.
Estrogen
Estrogen is essential to a woman’s sexuality by heightening senses, helping the vagina to be adequately lubricated, and keeping the tissues healthy in the vagina. As a woman reaches menopause, the body starts to make less and less estrogen. This leads to many different symptoms that can make a woman lose her libido, such as night sweats, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and erratic periods.
Progesterone
The hormone progesterone is vital to maintain good sexual health. When there is too little amount of progesterone throughout menopause, the result is tiredness, erratic periods, and other menopausal symptoms that lessen libido.
Androgens / Testosterone
Similar to estrogen, as the body ages, it stops producing as many androgens, which includes testosterone. Experts feel that this androgen dip also leads women to have a lower libido throughout menopause. Even though changes in hormones is a big cause of loss of libido during menopause, other items may also lead to a woman’s loss of libido.
Besides hormonal causes of loss in libido, many other things can lead to this usual symptom of menopause.
The other causes can be divided into three categories: mental, physical, and relational.
Mental Causes:
- tiredness
- stress
- anxiety, depression, or mood swings
- aging worries
- sexual feelings
- changes in self esteem or distorted body image
- chronic disease
- diabetes
- heart disease
- anemia
- hysterectomy
- using medication
- vaginal dryness
- sexual dysfunction
- painful conditions
- changes in intimate relationships
- partner availability
- changes in physical health of partner
- breakdown in partner communication
- major life decisions
- partner’s low sex drive
- changes within the family
- changes in social roles
- tofu, soy products, Miso, Edamame
- lean protein, nuts, fish, dairy products
- almonds, leafy greens, foods high in magnesium
- oysters, kidney beans, liver, red meat
- Stretching: Aids relaxation, stress, and improves muscle tone
- Aerobics: Good for the heart and improving circulation
- Yoga: Increases relaxation and flexibility
- Kegels: Strengthens the muscles in the vagina
Physical Causes:
Relational Causes:
Loss of libido is a complicated menopausal symptom that has various causes.
Treatments For Libido Loss
Luckily, a waning libido can be simply treated through many different methods. Often, changes in lifestyle including diet and exercise may help treat loss in libido along with normal stress and anxiety.
Foods That Are Recommended:
Exercises That Are Recommended:
Since the center of the problem for menopausal women lies in a decrease in hormone levels, the most effective way to treat this problem is to go right to the source. Supplements that contain natural ingredients may be a good choice and a safe way to get this accomplished. In certain extreme cases, medical solutions such as pharmaceutical drugs or surgery may be used. However, these come with risky side effects or may cause dangerous complications and should only be utilized as a final option. Always consult a doctor before making any major decisions.
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
- Vaginal dryness
- Itchiness
- Burning sensation
- Pain during intercourse
- Loss of sex drive
- Difficulty reaching climax
- Low energy
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
Menopause Loss of Libido FAQ’s
Q: 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.
Q: 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.
Read more Loss of Libido FAQ’s.
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.