IN TOUCH
Sex and the post-menopausal woman
Intimacy and sex in the lives of post-menopausal women
- Published: 20/12/2011 at 03:37 AM
- Newspaper section: Life
"Dried up" is the dubious phrase sometimes used to refer to women going through menopause _ the process marked by a number of physical changes, including the end of menstruation. Not only is the term offensive, it's also inaccurate. Far from losing both the ability and the desire for sex, a recent study reported that a significant portion of women were more sexually active after 40 than during their younger years.
Defying menopause
Menopause is the stage in a woman's life when the ovaries cease to function, the body stops producing estrogen and a number of other important hormones. Estrogen is the hormone responsible for preparing the female body to have sex. Levels of testosterone, the hormone that helps put women "in the mood" also decline. The absence of these hormones causes many women to experience not only a major decline in their sex drive, but it also can cause vaginal dryness and thinning, which can make sexual intercourse far more painful than pleasurable.
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About the author
- Writer: Dr Pansak Sugkraroek
- Position: A reproductive endocrinologist at Bumrungrad Hospi
