To begin with, you should know that sexuation is a process that takes place from birth to death. Sexuation is the set of biological and psychological phases that characterize people’s sexuality, that is, their genetic sex and their sexual identity and orientation. And you also have to keep in mind that our sexuality is influenced by multiple biological, psychological and sociocultural factors.
And now let’s go with the desire. Sexual desire is a phase of the human sexual response: desire, arousal, plateau, orgasm and resolution. As you see, it is the first of those phases. But not always. Women can begin a sexual practice without desire and it may or may not appear throughout that practice.
Regarding menopause, it is a part of the life cycle of women called climacteric. A woman is considered to be in menopause when twelve consecutive months pass without her having menstruation. This is the most important milestone of the climacteric, which is a period of life that passes between adulthood and old age and is now generally called older adulthood. Menopause has different connotations in different cultures. For example, in the West they are very negative, but there are societies that do not even have a word for menopause. From a biological point of view, it is the end of the reproductive season and is associated with the lack of production of estrogen, a female hormone, due to the aging of the ovary.
Some of the symptoms associated with menopause that some women suffer are: irritability, hot flashes at night, sleep disturbance, headaches, dizziness, fatigue and redistribution of body fat that is accentuated in the abdominal area. And there are other symptoms more associated with sexuality such as vaginal dryness; changes in the appearance of the vagina, vulva and labia; atrophy of the muscles between the vagina and the perineum, that is, of the pelvic floor and greater dryness of the skin and hair together with other changes in physical appearance.
These variations in appearance lead some women to feel less attractive, which, together with the changes that I mentioned that occur in the sexual organs and the sociocultural connotations that I explained that menopause has in part of the world, can make sexual desire of some women decreases in that period.
But it does not have to be a decrease in desire that leads to stopping having sexual relations. Although it is true that it happens to women apart from women, this lack of desire has a solution. Perhaps at this point in the lives of these women it is necessary to dedicate more time to stimulation, that is, the lead-up to sexual intercourse should be longer. Lubricants and moisturizers and even vaginal creams with estrogens can also be used. It has been clearly shown that pelvic floor gymnastics and/or physiotherapy is very beneficial. And in more serious cases, hyaluronic acid or laser can be used to improve vaginal elasticity, although always on medical recommendation.
It must also be taken into account that, together with the physical and sociocultural factors that influence sexual desire, there is the fatigue, anxiety and even depression that some menopausal women suffer. Therefore, the first recommendation for a menopausal woman who feels a loss of sexual desire is to talk clearly and frankly with her partner. It is very possible that starting new sexual games, changing positions, etc., can help. You can also go to sexual therapy and there are a series of general recommendations that help: rest more and avoid stress, follow a healthy diet, exercise regularly, do not smoke because tobacco reduces irrigation in the vagina and do not use soaps or deodorants that can cause vaginal irritation.
But what I am explaining to you does not happen to all women, that is, it is not an obligatory consequence of menopause. On the contrary, many other women experience their sexuality better than before the moment of menopause because the fear of an unwanted pregnancy disappears.
So, in conclusion, in answer to your question, you should keep in mind that sexuality is not only influenced by hormonal changes, women are not just estrogens. How a menopausal woman experiences her sexuality has a powerful influence on how she has previously experienced it and, lastly, each woman’s ability to adapt to changes is also very important.
Rosa María Cárdaba García She is a professor at the Faculty of Nursing of the University of Valladolid and coordinator of the Nursing Care Research Group (GICE), her field of research is health and gender.
Question sent via email byAMMP.
Coordination and writing: Victoria Toro.
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