Why sex gets worse for women after menopause

POST-MENOPAUSAL women have worse sex lives – partly because their partners suffer with ill health and erectile dysfunction, research suggests.

A study found that more than three quarters of the women questioned said they were sexually inactive – even if they had a loving partner.

The University of Sussex research, involving more than 4,000 post-menopausal women, reported many were coping with a lack of libido or a partner’s erectile dysfunction. The study also found that caring for an unwell spouse can damage your sex life.

Only a minority of women specifically blamed the menopause for their lack of activity, listing night sweats and hot flushes among the symptoms putting them off. Dr Stephanie Faubion, medical director of the North American Menopause Society, said: ‘Partner factors play a prominent role in women’s sexual activity and satisfaction.’

She said these factors include ‘lack of partner’ as well as a partner’s ‘sexual dysfunction’ and ‘poor physical health’, and ‘relationship issues’.

The research confirms the findings of past studies which have suggested sexual satisfaction and libido decline after the menopause. Sometimes referred to as ‘the change’, it sees a woman’s hormones fluctuate, causing a range of symptoms including night sweats and hot flushes as blood vessels constrict or dilate.

Writing in the Journal of the North American Menopause Society, researchers said post-menopausal women may also be less inclined to have sex due to low self-esteem, mood swings and relationship breakdowns.