Perimenopause and Sex Drive

Some Ideas that May Help

There are no easy answers for this problem. Many women report a surge in their sexual drive after menopause, when all calms down. There are some women who find themselves more sexual during perimenopause. But for many of us, this is just another situation to manage.

Here are some overall suggestions for feeling better about yourself:

• Exercise
  
• Eat well
  
• Meditate
  
• Spend some time doing pleasurable activities
  
• Wear makeup and dress in ways that make you feel feminine
  
• Change your attitudes from blame and self-pity to self-responsibility and acceptance
  

All of these suggestions will go a long way toward helping you feel good about yourself, despite hormonal fluctuations. Aside from any physical conditions that may impinge on your sex life, the better you feel about yourself, the more likely it is that you'll want sex. Dressing sexy can be a great turn-on for both partners!

When Sex Hurts

A lot of women experience pain during sex. If sex hurts, you're definitely not going to want it. You must work with a skilled gynecologist to find the underlying reason for the pain. You may simply have an infection and an antibiotic or yeast medication will clear it up. Even if you have vulvodynia (or unexplained pain), there are many new roads to travel for help. Do not accept vaginal pain. If your doctor tells you that you must just live with it, find a new doctor. There are so many treatments that may help and much support for these conditions. You may have to accept living with some discomfort or pain, but you owe it to yourself to look for the right diagnosis and treatment for you. You can find more information on this subject on the Vaginal Pain and Infections page.

"Natural" Aphrodisiacs

Be wary of advertisements for "natural" remedies that are "guaranteed" to increase your sex drive. Marketers prey on women who are desperate to light the fire in their relationships again.

Recently, many products have come out claiming to enhance female libido. In fact, Viagra, the male "sex" pill may eventually be available for women. There are now pills and creams touting astonishing libido benefits. But do your research before investing your money. Most of these products are nothing more than common herbs and menthol (in creams) that, sorry to say, do nothing for most women.

One company has created an aggressive marketing campaign, offering a free month's supply of their "magic" pills. However, once you receive it (after paying $4.95 for shipping), the literature says that you should not expect results for three to four months.
There may be no "magic bullet" to combat the physical and emotional changes that lower our libido during perimenopause.

Testosterone Supplementation

There are many forms of testosterone available, pills, injections, patches, creams. For creams, you may have to get the formula from a compounding pharmacy (one that creates the formula).

Finally...

It's not easy to feel sexy when your body's hormonal fluctuations make you feel like a human ping-pong match. But the biggest mistake you can make is to stop trying. Studies have shown that sex increases longevity and health, and is a joyful part of the human condition.

Sex Drive & Perimenopause

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