Does Lower Sex Drive During Menopause Lead to Painful Intercourse?

Having sex less often during the transition to menopause is not associated with an increased risk of developing pain with intercourse, according to a new study published recently by the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

How Sex Changes After Menopause?

The estrogen hormone takes a nosedive during menopause and the years leading up to it called perimenopause. This change has a huge impact on your sexual function.

It can lower desire and make it harder for you to become aroused. It can also make the vaginal canal less stretchy and you may experience dryness, which can cause intercourse to be painful.

Menopause and Sex - Symptoms, Signs, Natural remedies
Menopause occurs when a woman's ovaries stop producing the hormone estrogen. Since estrogen is linked to sex drive, a woman will experience changes in sexual desire around the time of menopause.

‘Declines in sexual intercourse frequency across the menopausal transition were not associated with an increased hazard of developing pain with intercourse.’

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More than a third of women in perimenopause, or who are postmenopausal, report having sexual difficulties, from lack of interest in sex to trouble having an orgasm. Painful intercourse is also reported in 20% to 59% of perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.

This 13-year study examined whether a reduction in the frequency of sex is responsible for women’s symptoms of sexual pain during the transition to menopause. The study also examined other factors potentially associated with sexual pain.

There is a popular myth that women who don’t remain sexually active, especially through the menopause transition will lose their ability to have comfortable sex. But this study provides some empirical evidence against this popular notion.

Perimenopause - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment
Perimenopause is a transition phase that lasts until menopause. The low estrogen levels during this phase cause irregular periods and early menopause symptoms such as hot flashes. This phase may last from a few months to years.

This study gathered questionnaire data annually across the first 10 visits of the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN), a multicenter, multiracial, and multiethnic prospective study of the menopausal transition. Inclusion criteria for this study were those ages 42-52 years who self-identified as Black, Hispanic, Japanese, Chinese, or White.

Menopause Transition: Is Frequency Of Intercourse Linked To Painful Intercourse?

Of the 2,247 women with no sexual pain at the baseline, 1,087 (48.4%) developed sexual pain at least “sometimes” up to 10 follow-up visits over 13 years.

Participants completed questionnaires at each visit, gauging frequency of participation in sexual behaviors, genital or urinary symptoms, and pain experienced during sexual activity.

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They also found that women were most at risk for developing sexual pain in late perimenopause and postmenopause, independent of age, and the use of systemic hormone therapy did not appear to reduce this risk of developing sexual pain.

Reporting of vaginal dryness had the strongest association with developing pain. Engaging in oral sex and having a higher frequency of arousal was associated with a reduced chance of developing sexual pain.

Why is Health Screening in Women between 40 and 60 years of age important?
Health screening in women between 40 and 60 years helps to diagnose health issues in the early stages when they can be controlled. This ensures a more comfortable old age.

This study results show that women whose sexual intercourse activity declines do not appear to be at higher risk for developing sexual pain compared with women who maintain or increase sexual frequency.

Women and their health care professionals should focus on developing individualized strategies to prevent and treat sexual pain and not attribute pain to reduced intercourse frequency.

Source-Medindia