This is a natural physiological process that will affect every woman. 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 the influence of menopause on sexual life, the pros and cons, possible he alth problems and the intensity of a woman's sensations during this difficult period from this article.
How a woman feels during menopause: myths and reality
The word "menopause" comes from the Greek klimax - "ladder", expressing the symbolic steps leading from the flourishing of specific female functions to their gradual extinction. There are many rumors around this period of life.
There is an opinion that during premenopause a woman becomes angry, irritable, she develops severe 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 in them.
Here are the real medical facts about the changes in a woman's life after menopause:
- womb shrinks;
- the size of the mammary glands is decreasing;
- 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 were not before);
- hot flashes can trigger hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating);
- climax and sex, sex life and orgasm are not mutually exclusive concepts, and they are possible after menopause;
- certain endocrine disorders;
- problems with the functioning of the cardiovascular system.
Due to endocrine disorders and an imbalance of sex hormones, fat can 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 treated for endocrine disorders.
Periods and stages of development of menopause
There are three stages of the process:
- Premenopause is the period from the appearance of the first symptoms of menopause to the complete cessation of menstruation. Depending on the individual characteristics of the body and the state of he alth, the duration of premenopause can be from one to ten years. During this period, the symptoms of menopause either fade away or begin with renewed vigor. Most often, the process takes about three to four years.
- Menopause is the fact of the absence of menstruation for some amount of time. True menopause is considered if after the last menstruation during the year they were no more. Some experts believe that it is more correct to calculate menopause after two years.
- Postmenopause takes two to four years. At this stage, the ovaries completely stop producing sex hormones. This fact is reflected in the size of the genital organs (uterus, vagina, breasts, labia are reduced by one and a half to two times) and the sexual life of a woman with menopause. It is during the postmenopausal period that most often there is complete indifference to sex.
Causes of menopause
Can menopause be delayed and why does it develop? For most women, the age of about forty-five is taken as the starting point for the onset of 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 menopause clinic becomes brighter.
Medicine knows cases of early menopause. This is the cessation of menstruation before the age of forty.
The reasons for this phenomenon include:
- Shereshevsky-Turner syndrome;
- strong nervous shock;
- hereditary factor;
- some endocrine diseases;
- anorexia;
- chemotherapy;
- gynecological diseases infectiousnature;
- ovarian dysfunction caused by 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. In some cases, this helps to delay the onset of menopause for up to ten to fifteen years and allows you to continue enjoying the pleasures of sexual activity.
Does a woman want sex after menopause?
Studies have proven that changes in estrogen levels often have a detrimental effect on libido. In premenopause, desire still persists. Menopause presents women with new he alth problems and, as a result, even if there is a 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. The exception is a woman taking hormone replacement therapy.
Features of sexual life during menopause
During menopause, vaginal lubrication almost completely dries up, stops being released. This becomes the main difficulty for a full-fledged sexual intercourse.
You can use pharmaceutical lubricants, you can pay more attention to the partner's foreplay for a more abundant release of lubricant. But in any case, it will not be enough, so you will have to stock up on auxiliary creams, gels and lubricants.
Sex life with menopausecan be as bright as before. For this, the emotional component is very important. It is a mistake to think that men do not expect such serious hormonal changes with age. The midlife crisis in the stronger sex often leads to even greater consequences for the libido and psyche than menopause in women. Sexual life with menopause can be of high quality and vibrant. It depends on the sensitivity and involvement in the process of the partner, his desire and ability to make his woman happy.
Contraception for intercourse after menopause
Sex life during menopause does not provide for any means of protection if the question is about unwanted pregnancy. Low levels of progesterone and estrogen, as well as smaller organs of the reproductive system, simply will not allow pregnancy to develop.
Protection is necessary if there is sexual intercourse with an unfamiliar partner. Use a condom 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. Sexual life of a woman after menopause can be intense and vibrant, she can get as many orgasms as she sees fit.
In some cases, a decrease in oxytocin levels can lead to less intense sensations during the peak of pleasure. However, the climax leads to a permanenta decrease in progesterone and estrogen, and the level of oxytocin most often returns to reference values (although it is possible that now it will be lower than before). After that, the intensity of orgasm will be the same.
Sex life during premenopause
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, it is possible to delay the onset of true menopause by a decade.
Even without taking drugs, sex life with menopause during premenopause is practically no different from the usual. The lubrication of the vagina is as intense as before, the uterus has not yet decreased in size, and in some cases conception is possible.
Sex life during and after menopause
When menopause occurs directly, that is, menopause, problems increase. Lubrication of the vagina almost completely ceases to stand out, this makes sexual intercourse painful for both partners and difficult. However, this problem can be avoided by using gels and lubricants.
How does menopause affect sex life? Much depends on the partner: if he is not satisfied with the changes that have occurred with the body of his wife, 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 andready to put up with the changes that have occurred in the body of a woman, further sexual life is possible. Of course, it will undergo some changes.
The influence of menopause on the psychological state of a woman
There is an opinion that already at the stage of premenopause a woman becomes irritated over 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 avoidable with sedatives);
- 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 vicious. Rather, she becomes weak, vulnerable and sensitive. This affects sexual life during menopause - in some cases, a woman simply does not have the strength to be active.
Impact of menopause on overall physical he alth
Almost all women go through some physical change during menopause. This negatively affects the quality of sexual life during menopause, since changes in one's own body often frighten and alarm not only women themselves, but also their partners.
Rules to help preserve outer beauty for as long as possible and prevent the effects of menopause on physical he alth:
- regular exercise (preferexercises that stimulate blood flow to the pelvic organs);
- proper nutrition, which contains the necessary proportion of he althy fats;
- complete rejection of bad habits;
- regular intake of amino acids, vitamins and trace elements;
- lack of stress and reasons for irritation;
- if necessary, taking hormone replacement therapy.
The case for continuing sexual activity after menopause
Almost all women after menopause either completely give up the joys of carnal love, or start having sex several times less often than before. That is unnecessary. Moreover, studies have shown that regular lovemaking during premenopause can prolong it for several years, thereby postponing the development of the menopause itself.
The case for continuing sexual activity after menopause:
- increasing self-esteem;
- good feeling;
- good mood after the act;
- feeling of unity with a partner;
- release of oxytocin into the blood;
- obesity prevention;
- prevention of neoplasm development.
In some cases, a woman is so embarrassed by the changes taking place with her body that she needs the help of a psychologist. The specialist will be able to convey to her that reaching a certain age is not a reason to deny yourself the joys available to every person.
Affectswhether sexual life on menopause? Every woman will have to ask herself this question sooner or later. Of course, there is an impact, and it is significant. To continue sexual life or put an end to yourself and your femininity - everyone decides for herself.
Doctors' recommendations
Gynecologists not only have nothing against continuing sexual activity after menopause, but most often strongly advise their patients not to give it up.
The only note they try to get across to every patient is to remember to take precautions. The inability to get pregnant does not eliminate the possibility of contracting sexually transmitted infections, HIV and hepatitis C.
At 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 unwanted pregnancy still remains.
