 Postmenopausal Women's Loss of Sexual Desire Affects Health and Quality of Life
A recent study looked at post menopausal women to determine what role loss of sexual desire played in their life. It seems that loss of sex drive was associated with a decreased quality of life and increase risk of illness. The study performed University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and paid for by Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals found that postmenopausal women at with low levels of sexual desire are more likely to be depressed and more likely to suffer physical symptoms such as back pain and memory problems than women who reported higher levels of desire.
Women with low sexual desire disorder reported overall poorer health status and worse health-related quality of life than women with normal or elevated sexual desires. Women with low sexual desires were twice as likely to have back pain, fatigue and memory problems. The study suggested that these women often had a degree of physical and mental impairment comparable to chronic conditions such as chronic hypertension, diabetes, osteoarthritis or asthma.
The study defined Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD) as the persistent lack of sexual desire causing marked stress or interpersonal difficulties. Researchers estimated that between 9% and 26% of women in the United States suffer from this problem. It’s occurrence generally depends on the woman's current age and menopausal status.
The study was based on telephone interviews with 1,189 postmenopausal women. Using quality of life surveys, researchers asked women about their levels of sexual desire and feelings of physical and emotional well-being or distress. The results demonstrated that those women with HSDD were more likely to be depressed and to express dissatisfaction with their home lives and their sexual partners. Women who had undergone surgical menopause, having their uterus and ovaries removed, were slightly more likely to have this disorder than women who underwent menopause naturally.
Editors Note by Allen Lawrence M.D., Ob/Gyn:
As women move toward menopause the sex hormones tend to begin to fail. As time passed and ovulation stops estrogen levels fall and then testosterone levels appear to rise slightly and then fall. During this period of time there are often many other stresses that are affecting the woman, She may be gaining weight, having hair loss and grey hairs popping out. As sex hormones decline energy levels decline, thyroid levels may be diminished and overall women feel different.
At the same time women may be dealing with empty nest syndrome and the aging issues of their spouse, issues related to parents, work and children. Often sex takes a back seat to all of the stresses and changes that are going on in her life and around her. A few years may pass and sex becomes less common, even non existent.
The study above shows two possible issues: 1) the health risks may well be a results of hormone decline or failure and lack of hormone replacement for one or more of many possible reasons. 2) Loss of interest in sex may occur as a lifestyle change, where sex has been placed on the back burner by the woman or by her partner and neither knows how to rekindle the spark. The physical symptoms are often a combination of physical changes due to hormone decline as well as depression from feeling alienated, unappreciated, unloved or loss of sexual identity.
One of the most common problems I see in practice are post menopausal women who have stopped having sex or only have sex very occasionally, complaining of lack of energy, depression and anxiety. When we delve into the symptoms look for medical causes certainly low hormone levels is a major feature, but often the more insidious problem is feeling unloved and unappreciated. Women often tell me. “My husband doesn’t seem to care anymore.” “He is uninterested in me sexually or otherwise.” When you talk with the men their story is somewhat different , “She stopped having sex with me and when I tried to get her to respond she would tell me she was too tired, too fatigues, didn’t feel like it! So I just gave up.”
After rejection by a partner both men and women often feel hurt, rejected, brittle and fragile. They may feel fearful of bringing up the subject, fearful of being rejected again. Unfortunately, this can go on your years and relationships can fall apart before either has the willingness to change what is happening.
The first step is an evaluation of hormone levels of both partners. Too often both men and women forget they are both experiencing declining hormone levels as they get older. Hence it is important to rebalance both partners so that they can meet on common ground and return to sexual health together. If homrone levels are below optimal levles then hormone rpleacment therapy, HRTusing both the female hormone estrogen (bio-identical estradiol) and small amounts of the male sexual hormone, testosterone, should be considered.
For more Information on Hormone Replacment Thearpy, click here.
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