So exercise at least three times a week for 30 minutes and eat right to combat health problems that can interfere with a good sex life, such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. Yes, you are no longer 30, but isn't that a good thing? While your body has changed over the years, you have so much more to offer in terms of having a healthy and fulfilling relationship. Instead of wishing for the body you once had, embrace and care for the body you have now. Learning to feel comfortable and confident at any age Your ob/gyn can also help identify strategies that will work best for you. So discuss the problems you're experiencing with your partner sooner rather than later and suggest making some changes. It's important to note that more frequent sex promotes vaginal elasticity and lubrication - both of which suffer as women age. New positions may also be helpful in reducing discomfort brought on by age-related problems, such as osteoarthritis. Testosterone - yes, that's the male hormone - patches can improve sexual response.But doctors typically give it at the lowest dose for the shortest period of time to help minimize the possible health risks. If you're also having significant hot flashes and night sweats, this may be an appropriate treatment. These options are very low-risk forms of estrogen therapy, since it is mainly absorbed by your vagina and not your bloodstream - unlike hormone therapy delivered through a pill or patch, which may raise the risk of stroke, breast cancer and blood clots. If you have heart disease, however, talk to your doctor before using topical or vaginal estrogen to make sure it's safe for you. It can help restore vaginal tissue to its premenopausal state and reverse thinning and dryness, and it may also help prevent urinary tract infections. You apply this directly to your vagina, usually as a cream. Prescription low-dose vaginal estrogen.You use these over-the-counter products (such as Moist Again and Replens) every few days to help with dryness, as well as symptoms like burning. Over-the-counter silicone-based products (such as Astroglide and K-Y Jelly) can temporarily ease vaginal dryness and discomfort if you use one before or during sex. Just because these issues are likely to occur doesn't mean they're a normal part of aging, or that you have to tolerate them. If sex is painful or uncomfortable, it simply means that some changes might be necessary. But avoiding sexual activity actually has the potential to make matters worse with sex, the adage "use it or lose it" is especially true. What to do if sex is painful or uncomfortable Dwindling estrogen can also decrease the healthy bacteria in your vagina, raising the risk of urinary tract infections.Īfter menopause - when your ovaries stop secreting estrogen altogether - vaginal problems like these become even more likely. When vaginal tissue is thinner and more fragile, sex can cause tiny tears in the vagina, which makes women more susceptible to sexually transmitted infections. Sex may be uncomfortable or even painful. The loss of estrogen can make your vaginal walls thinner, drier, less elastic and sometimes inflamed, so you may experience vaginal burning and itching. Doctors call this transitional time perimenopause, and it often starts four to five years before your final period. The average age of menopause is 51.Īs you near menopause, your ovaries produce less estrogen and other hormones.
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After that, she's considered postmenopausal. Most of the problems older women have are due to decreased estrogen levels that accompany menopause.Ī woman reaches menopause when she has gone through 12 consecutive months without any periods. The causes of sexual problems in older women Here, an expert offers advice to help older women have a fulfilling sex life after menopause - and explains why it's still important to protect yourself during sex. But if you want to enjoy a happy, healthy sex life (which has been shown to reduce stress and improve heart health), candid discussions with your partner and doctor are often essential. For many older women, talking about sex is still downright awkward.