Menopause: A beginner’s guide to sex after menopause

Hormonal changes during menopause have physical and emotional consequences that can change a woman in many ways. Sex is on the top of the list of things it affects and it shouldn’t be ignored. Menopause is a transformative period in a woman’s life and can be quite amazing if one knows how to handle it. Many women stay asymptomatic while going through menopause, while others experience various symptoms like vaginal dryness, night sweats, hot flashes and so on.

Sex and menopause

As discomforting as menopause is, there’s a symptom that isn’t talked about much – decreased sex and intimacy. Ooops, yeah! During menopause, your oestrogen levels plummet. Changes in hormone levels, as well as the stress of menopause, have a significant impact on your sexual function. It can decrease your desire and make it more difficult to become aroused. It can also cause the vaginal canal to become less stretchy and induce dryness, which can make sex unpleasant.

According to a John Hopkins report on how sex changes after menopause, more than a third of women experience having sexual difficulties and trouble having an orgasm. The vulva and vaginal tissues lose their suppleness and moisture, becoming thinner, drier, and losing their folds as a result. Broken, bruised, and irritated tissues are more easily broken, bruised, and irritated. As such menopause can cause pain, bleeding or burning during sex and repeated urinary tract infections.

How can sex be better after menopause?

It may be called meno-PAUSE, but our lives do not get paused at it. Sex is still a significant factor that continues to be an integral part of our lives. Meaning, it is necessary to work for it and be creative and get the satisfying sex they deserve if not an orgasm. Here are a few tips that can make sex better after menopause:

Rev up your libido

Things may have worked out for you in a certain way up until menopause, but it needs to be rediscovered now. Try out new things that may help you get aroused and restore intimacy in your relationships. Sex therapists can help you achieve this through various techniques.

Lubricants

It’s always a good idea! Even if you didn’t feel the need to use one before menopause, you may need one now. Find out the type of lubricant that works for you the best and get going already.

Rebalance hormones

If we go by nature’s way then women were not made to be sexually active after menopause. So, what helps in this case? Medicines. One can opt to go for hormonal replacement therapies that may be in the form of pills, foams, vaginal creams or more.

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