As women, our relationship to sexuality and our sexual experiences continues to evolve with age. Significant hormonal changes can significantly transform our sex lives, leading to either increases or decreases in sexual appetite and pleasure.
Menopause, which marks the end of a woman’s fertile years, often brings with it symptoms that can detract from sexual functionality, including the capability to orgasm. By understanding the correlation between menopause and orgasm and further evaluating the implications of these physiological shifts, we can look to potential methods of alleviating these complications. After all, we all deserve an enjoyable and healthy sex life, no matter our age!
Why are orgasms particularly beneficial for hormonal women?
Continuing to prioritise orgasms as a part of overall health and well-being doesn’t just sound like a good idea – it’s an approach that’s grounded in scientific evidence.
As orgasms are a form of exercise, they can support physical health by helping to improve circulation, heart health, and boosts to the immune system. The way muscles contract during orgasm can also help to strengthen pelvic floor muscles, potentially offsetting menopause-related issues like urinary incontinence.
The release of endorphins as a result of orgasms can also be a powerful tool in promoting health and well-being during menopause. This can help with pain relief, as well as enhancing sleep quality, the reduction of stress levels, and relief from mood swings and anxiety.
Beyond these physical benefits, the ability to orgasm can also contribute to a positive sexual self-image, promoting overall mental well-being and intimacy within relationships in a vulnerable life stage.
What’s the relationship between menopause and orgasms?
Orgasms (which are the climax of sexual gratification, leading to the release of sexual tension) require a complex interplay of multiple physiological systems and hormones.
One of these is oestrogen, which experiences a significant dip in natural production throughout the course of menopause. As oestrogen plays a key role in preserving the health of both the vagina and clitoris, both of which are necessary for female sexual pleasure and orgasms, it’s no surprise that changes to oestrogen levels can result in changes to sexual experiences.
Reduced oestrogen levels can result in vaginal dryness, thinning of the vaginal walls, and a diminished blood supply to the genital area. These factors can all reduce sexual sensations, as well as creating the potential for discomfort during sexual intercourse.
Other menopausal symptoms can also negatively contribute to sexual desire and enjoyment, including lower-quality sleep, fluctuating moods and hot flushes. With a myriad of changes potentially impacting a woman’s libido from both physical and mental factors, this can significantly reduce the amount of orgasms a woman experiences compared to her pre-menopause sexual activity.
What are the implications of reduced libido and less frequent orgasms during menopause?
When considering the implications for women’s emotional, psychological, and relational well-being throughout menopause as a result of reduced libido, it’s important to remember that no two women share the same sexual experiences. While this can be of little concern to some women, changes in their sexual enjoyment and appetite can be one of the most significant challenges menopause brings with it.
On a personal level, many women may experience a decrease in self-esteem and a confused sense of self-perception as a sexual being as a result of reduced sexual desire. This can have negative mental health impacts, triggering feelings of sadness, insecurity, or concern about the future.
For women in relationships, a decrease in sexual appetite may also lead to tensions or miscommunications. It’s important for partners of women in menopause not to misinterpret a reduction in sexual desire as a lack of interest or attraction, as this can lead to feelings of rejection or disconnection. These relationship strains can add further complication to the already nuanced landscape of menopausal changes.
A reduced libido can also point to underlying health issues, including hormonal imbalances, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease. Working with a GP who’s familiar with your health history is one way you can protect yourself throughout the many changes menopause brings, including on a sexual front.
While these implications can be challenging to navigate, there are numerous strategies that can be effective in supporting women to maintain a fulfilling sex life throughout menopause.
How can you support your sex life during menopause?
Given the many benefits regular orgasms can bring with them, prioritising continued sexual enjoyment throughout your menopausal years can give you a greater sense of physical, mental and emotional well-being. While physical changes can make it more difficult to reach orgasms, there are a number of non-medical and medical strategies alike that can help you achieve sexual climax on a regular basis.
Non-medical approaches include:
- Sexual aids – certain sexual aids, such as vibrators, can be of great benefit for menopausal women. As women in the midst of menopause may be experiencing diminished sensitivity, using sexual aids throughout foreplay and intercourse itself can help to increase arousal, promote natural lubrication, and intensify orgasms.
- Lubricants and moisturisers – if vaginal dryness is keeping you from achieving climax, over-the-counter lubricants can be a game-changer. Lubricants and vaginal moisturisers can both help to provide key moisture levels both within sexual intercourse and on a routine basis, promoting lubrication and increasing sexual pleasure.
- Pelvic floor exercises – a regular practice of pelvic floor exercises can also play a key role in supporting sexual longevity and continued orgasmic potential. Kegels have proven abilities in improving sexual function and strengthening pelvic floor muscles, which are pivotal for orgasms to be reached.
Many women find themselves requiring further support in maintaining their sexual libido and their capacity for orgasm. In those cases, medical approaches can provide potential solutions, including a wide range of hormone therapies. These can help to counteract the impact of reduced hormone production, counteracting vaginal dryness and discomfort during sex.
Conclusion
While menopause can certainly bring a high degree of change to your sex life, it doesn’t need to mark the end of it. By reaching out and finding the support you need for ongoing orgasms, you can protect your sexual well-being and continue to benefit from the many positive impacts sexual satisfaction can bring.
If you’re looking for more support for your sex life throughout menopause, reach out to the team at Australian Menopause Centre to discover the options available to you. Our resources, tools and treatments can help you to continue to enjoy one of life’s greatest pleasures!
About The Author - AMC Team
Our team consists of doctors, nurses, program assistants, naturopaths and nutritionists that join their wealth of knowledge to offer our patients and website visitors interesting and insightful articles to assist you understand the symptoms you are experiencing and how to relieve them.