This is a natural physiological process that will affect every member of the fair sex. Climax - the transition of the body from the reproductive phase with regular menstrual cycles to the phase of complete cessation of menstruation. You will learn the features of menopause on sexual life, the pros and cons, possible health problems and the intensity of sensations of a woman in this difficult period from this article.
How does a woman feel during menopause: myths and reality
The word "climax" comes from the Greek klimax - "ladder", expressing symbolic steps leading from the heyday of specific female functions to their gradual fading. Around this period of life there are many rumors.
There is an opinion that during premenopause a woman becomes angry, irritable, develops intense sweating (hot flashes), appearance deteriorates, wrinkles form very quickly, obesity begins and the figure is deformed. Of course, these rumors are largely exaggerated, but there is some truth to them.
Here are the real medical facts about changes in a woman’s life during menopause:
- the size of the uterus decreases;
- the size of the mammary glands is reduced;
- changes in the hormonal system can really affect the emotional background;
- hormonal imbalance can lead to hair loss, dry skin (and as a result, the formation of wrinkles in places where they did not exist before);
- hot flashes can trigger hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating);
- menopause and sex, sex life and orgasm are not mutually exclusive concepts, and they are possible after menopause;
- some endocrine disorders;
- problems with the functioning of the cardiovascular system.
Due to endocrine disorders and an imbalance of sex hormones, fat may begin to be deposited where it was not there before. For example, abdominal obesity most often begins in women over the age of forty. To combat this problem, it is necessary to be examined and do therapy of endocrine disorders.
Periods and stages of menopause
Three stages of the process can be distinguished:
- Premenopause is the period from the onset of the first symptoms of menopause to the complete cessation of menstruation. Depending on the individual characteristics of the body and the state of health, the duration of the premenopause can be from one year to ten years. During this period, menopause symptoms either fade away, then begin with a new force. Most often, the process takes about three to four years.
- Menopause is a fact of the absence of menstruation for a certain amount of time. A true menopause is considered if there are no more after the last menstruation during the year. Some experts consider it more correct to calculate menopause after two years.
- Postmenopause takes two to four years. At this stage, the ovaries completely stop the production of sex hormones. This fact is reflected in the size of the genitals (uterus, vagina, chest, labia decreases one and a half to two times) and the woman's sexual life with menopause. It is during the postmenopause that most often appears complete indifference to sex.
Causes of menopause
Can menopause be delayed and for what reasons does it develop? In most women, the age of about forty-five years is taken as the reference point for the onset of the menopause. Most often, it coincides with the appearance of the first clinical manifestations of menopause.
As a rule, by the time a woman reaches the age of fifty, the menstrual function is finally completed, and the clinic's menopause becomes brighter.
Cases of the development of early menopause are known to medicine. Such is the cessation of menstruation until the age of forty.
The causes of this phenomenon include:
- Shereshevsky-Turner syndrome;
- severe nervous shock;
- hereditary factor;
- some endocrine diseases;
- anorexia;
- chemotherapy;
- gynecological diseases of an infectious nature;
- disruption of the ovaries under the influence of the X chromosome.
The same reasons often become decisive for the onset of menopause at the age of forty-five to fifty years. Many women want to delay the onset of menopause and for this purpose begin to take hormone replacement therapy drugs. In some cases, this helps to delay the onset of menopause for a period of about ten to fifteen years and allows you to continue to enjoy the joys of sexual activity.
Does a woman want sex after menopause?
Studies have shown that changes in estrogen levels often adversely affect libido. In the premenopausal period, desire is still preserved. Menopause presents women with new health problems and, as a result, even if there is libido, there is no way to satisfy it.
In the postmenopausal period, estrogens reach the lower threshold of reference values and libido almost completely disappears. An exception is a woman taking hormone replacement therapy.
Features of sexual life during menopause
During menopause, the vaginal lubricant almost completely dries up, stops being excreted. This becomes the main difficulty for a full sexual intercourse.
You can use pharmacy lubricants, you can pay more attention to the preliminary caresses of a partner for a more abundant release of lubricant. But in any case, it will be small, so you have to stock up on auxiliary creams, gels and lubricants.
Sexuality with menopause can be as vibrant as before. For this, the emotional component is very important. To think that men with age do not expect equally serious hormonal changes is a mistake. The midlife crisis in the stronger sex often leads to even greater consequences for libido and the psyche than menopause in women. Sexual life with menopause can be of high quality and bright. It depends on the sensitivity and involvement in the partner’s process, his desire and ability to make his woman happy.
Prevention of intercourse after menopause
Sexual life during menopause does not provide any means of protection if the issue is about an unwanted pregnancy. Low levels of progesterone and estrogen, as well as decreased organs of the reproductive system, simply will not allow pregnancy to develop.
Protection is necessary if there is sexual intercourse with an unfamiliar partner. A condom should be used to prevent HIV and sexually transmitted infections.
Can a woman experience an orgasm after menopause?
The onset of menopause does not change the sensitivity of the nerve endings of the clitoris. The sex life of a woman after menopause can be rich and vibrant, she can get as many orgasms as she sees fit.
In some cases, a decrease in oxytocin levels may lead to less pronounced sensations during peak pleasure. However, menopause leads to a constant decrease in progesterone and estrogen, and the level of oxytocin most often returns to reference values (although it is possible that it will now be lower than before). After that, the intensity of the orgasm will be the same.
Premenopausal Sex Life
This is the first stage of menopause. It is characterized by a moderate decrease in hormonal levels. If a woman takes HRT (hormone replacement therapy drugs) at this stage, then the onset of true menopause can be delayed for a decade.
Even without taking the drugs, sexual life with menopause during the premenopause is practically the same as usual. Vaginal lubrication is released as intensely as before, the uterus has not yet decreased in size, and in some cases conception is possible.
Sexual life during and after menopause
With the onset of menopause, that is, menopause, problems increase. Vaginal lubrication almost completely ceases to stand out, this makes intercourse painful for both partners and difficult. However, using gels and lubricants, this problem can be avoided.
How does menopause affect sexual life? Much depends on the partner: if he is not satisfied with the changes that have occurred with the body of the spouse, he has every right to leave the family or begin to satisfy his sexual needs with another partner. Often, such difficulties exacerbate the already precarious psychological state of a woman during menopause.
If the partner is sensitive and ready to put up with the changes that have occurred in the woman’s body, further sexual activity is possible. Of course, she will undergo some changes.
The effect of menopause on the psychological state of a woman
There is an opinion that already at the stage of premenopause, a woman is annoyed by any trifle, her character becomes unbearable, it is simply impossible to communicate with her. This is an exaggeration. Here are the real facts about how much an imbalance of sex hormones can affect the psycho-emotional background:
- irritability (but when taking sedatives it can be avoided);
- chronic fatigue;
- constant desire to lie down to rest;
- low vitality.
Thus, the subsidence of estrogen and progesterone does not make a woman aggressive or angry. Rather, she becomes weak, vulnerable, and sensitive. This affects the sex life with menopause - in some cases, a woman simply does not have the strength to be active.
The effects of menopause on overall physical health
Almost all women undergo some physical changes during menopause. This negatively affects the quality of sexual life during menopause, as changes in one's own body often frighten and alarm not only women themselves, but also their partners.
Rules to help maintain external beauty as long as possible and prevent the effects of menopause on physical health:
- regular exercise (you should give preference to exercises that stimulate a rush of blood to the pelvic organs);
- proper nutrition, in which there is a necessary proportion of healthy fats;
- complete rejection of bad habits;
- regular intake of amino acids, vitamins and minerals;
- lack of stress and reasons for irritation;
- if necessary, taking hormone replacement therapy drugs.
Arguments for continuing sexual activity after menopause
Almost all women after the onset of menopause either completely abandon the joys of carnal love, or begin to have sex several times less than before. That is unnecessary. Moreover, studies have shown that regular pre-menopause lovemaking can extend it for several years, thereby postponing the development of menopause itself.
Reasons for continuing sexual activity after menopause:
- increased self-esteem;
- pleasant sensations;
- good mood after the act;
- feeling of unity with a partner;
- release of oxytocin into the blood;
- prevention of obesity;
- prevention of neoplasm development.
In some cases, a woman is so shy about the changes that occur with her body that she needs the help of a psychologist. The specialist will be able to convey to her that achieving a certain age is not a reason to deny yourself the joys available to everyone.
Does sex life affect menopause? Every woman will be forced to ask this question sooner or later. Of course, there is influence, and it is significant. Continue sex life or put an end to yourself and your femininity - each one decides for herself.
Doctors Recommendations
Gynecologists not only have nothing against continuing sexual activity after menopause, but more often they strongly advise their patients not to refuse it.
The only remark they are trying to convey to each patient is not to forget about protection. The inability to get pregnant does not preclude the possibility of contracting sexually transmitted infections, HIV and hepatitis C.
In the premenopausal stage, conception is still possible. The use of contraceptives remains relevant for at least two years after the termination of the cycle, since at this time the possibility of an unwanted pregnancy still remains.