The Female Libido & Menopause – How to Boost Your Sex Life After 50

For many women who go through menopause, a very real and distressing challenge that is often not talked about is the loss of sex drive (libido). Most women may be expecting symptoms such as hot flashes, vaginal dryness, trouble sleeping and mood swings [1], but may be caught off guard by a sudden dip in their libido.
In an article posted in the Daily Mail UK, world famous sexpert Tracey Cox shared how she revived her sex life after it vanished once she hit menopause. Tracey confessed that before hitting menopause, she had always had a high libido and would enjoy orgasms twice a day. Once menopause hit, her sex drive plummeted, and she began to forget about sex. She admitted that she felt like she lost her identity, since it was intertwined with her personal life and career. If you are feeling similarly to how Tracey felt, know that you can get your sex life back to what it used to be.
First off, let’s break down what happens to your sex drive and body as a whole during menopause. There are 3 major hormones that dominate the sexual playing field: testosterone, estrogen and progesterone [2].

  • Women naturally produce testosterone, which helps boost your desire to have sex. By the time women reach 50, however, testosterone levels drop significantly, resulting in a diminished libido.
  • Levels of progesterone, a hormone that is made after ovulation, stops being produced at menopause when ovulation stops.
  • Estrogen is a hormone that plays a pivotal role in heightening the female sex drive. At the end of your reproductive years, your estrogen levels begin to fluctuate, but overall wane as your ovaries make less estrogen. This, in turn, throws the balance between estrogen and progesterone out of sync. These fluctuations can cause vaginal dryness, mood swings, hot flashes and a lower sex drive.

Now that you understand the science behind why your sexual desire may have fallen off the map, let’s talk about how you can reclaim your sex life, post-menopause. Here are some tips to revive your life between the sheets.

  • Have sex regularly – Regular sex can help reduce post-menopausal sexual pain, enhance vaginal lubrication and prevent cystitis, prolapse and incontinence [3]. Some things you can do to make sex more enjoyable and to increase your satisfaction are to slow down, use lubrication and spend more time on foreplay [4]. Thinking about the things you love about your partner, and past moments of intimacy may also help enhance your excitement.
  • Be honest and communicate with your partner – It is crucial to talk to your partner about the changes you are experiencing, as they may not understand why you feel the way you do. If you talk about the new issues you are dealing with sexually, you can address these challenges together and increase intimacy.
  • Ask about hormonal replacement therapy – Estrogen creams can drastically reduce vaginal dryness and help you enjoy the feeling of sex again [5]. Testosterone replacement is another option to boost your sex drive but may come with undesirable side effects [6].

Supplements for Female Libido

Another route to naturally restoring your sex drive involves harnessing the stimulating effects of supplements, like Her Female Enhancement and the Horny Goat Weed Blend.

The Her Female Enhancement supplement is a blend of natural herbs and vitamins that work to enhance female sex drive, lubrication and enjoyment. The inclusion of minerals like zinc and B vitamins, such as Vitamins B3, B5, B6 and B12, help to naturally improve female sex drive as they are proven to be efficacious in elevating energy levels and helping balance the production of brain hormones like testosterone [7,8]. The amino acid, L-Arginine, is also proven to heighten sexual arousal by increasing blood flow to the genitals [9]. BioPerine, a black pepper extract, helps your body to maximally absorb these vital nutrients for female libido.

The Horny Goat Weed Blend is rich in natural herbs and extracts to reinvigorate your (and your partner’s) sexual appetite. Horny goat weed is an herb used within traditional Chinese medicine to help increase blood flow to the penis and vagina, thus increasing sexual arousal in men and women [10]. Ginseng root has been found to increase sexual arousal in menopausal women by relaxing the clitoris and vagina [11]. Maca, Mucuna pruriens and Tongkat Ali root extracts have also been proven to increase sexual desire and act as aphrodisiacs by balancing testosterone levels [12,13,14,15].

Restoring your libido after menopause may not seem easy, but with some work and a little help from natural supplements, you can revive your life in the bedroom.

References

  1. Inayat K, Danish N, Hassan L. Symptoms Of Menopause In Peri And Postmenopausal Women And Their Attitude Towards Them. J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad. 2017;29(3):477-480.
  2. Cappelletti M, Wallen K. Increasing women’s sexual desire: The comparative effectiveness of estrogens and androgens. Horm Behav. 2016;78:178-193. doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.11.003
  3. Whitmore KE. Complementary and alternative therapies as treatment approaches for interstitial cystitis. Rev Urol. 2002;4 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S28-S35.
  4. Guo YN, Ng EML, Chan K. Foreplay, orgasm and after-play among Shanghai couples and its integrative relation with their marital satisfaction. Sexual and Relationship Therapy. 2004;19(1), 65-78, DOI: 10.1080/14681990410001640844
  5. Naumova I, Castelo-Branco C. Current treatment options for postmenopausal vaginal atrophy. Int J Womens Health. 2018;10:387-395. Published 2018 Jul 31. doi:10.2147/IJWH.S158913
  6. Islam RM, Bell RJ, Green S, Page MJ, Davis SR. Safety and efficacy of testosterone for women: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trial data. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2019;7(10):754-766. doi:10.1016/S2213-8587(19)30189-5
  7. Prasad AS, Mantzoros CS, Beck FW, Hess JW, Brewer GJ. Zinc status and serum testosterone levels of healthy adults. Nutrition. 1996;12(5):344-348. doi:10.1016/s0899-9007(96)80058-x
  8. Kennedy DO. B Vitamins and the Brain: Mechanisms, Dose and Efficacy–A Review. Nutrients. 2016;8(2):68. Published 2016 Jan 27. doi:10.3390/nu8020068
  9. Kim NN, Christianson DW, Traish AM. Role of arginase in the male and female sexual arousal response. J Nutr. 2004;134(10 Suppl):2873S-2895S. doi:10.1093/jn/134.10.2873S
  10. Shindel AW, Xin ZC, Lin G, et al. Erectogenic and neurotrophic effects of icariin, a purified extract of horny goat weed (Epimedium spp.) in vitro and in vivo. J Sex Med. 2010;7(4 Pt 1):1518-1528. doi:10.1111/j.1743-6109.2009.01699.x
  11. Oh KJ, Chae MJ, Lee HS, Hong HD, Park K. Effects of Korean red ginseng on sexual arousal in menopausal women: placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover clinical study. J Sex Med. 2010;7(4 Pt 1):1469-1477. doi:10.1111/j.1743-6109.2009.01700.x
  12. Gonzales GF, Córdova A, Vega K, et al. Effect of Lepidium meyenii (MACA) on sexual desire and its absent relationship with serum testosterone levels in adult healthy men. Andrologia. 2002;34(6):367-372. doi:10.1046/j.1439-0272.2002.00519.x
  13. Lampariello LR, Cortelazzo A, Guerranti R, Sticozzi C, Valacchi G. The Magic Velvet Bean of Mucuna pruriens. J Tradit Complement Med. 2012;2(4):331-339. doi:10.1016/s2225-4110(16)30119-5
  14. Henkel RR, Wang R, Bassett SH, et al. Tongkat Ali as a potential herbal supplement for physically active male and female seniors–a pilot study. Phytother Res. 2014;28(4):544-550. doi:10.1002/ptr.5017
  15. Clemesha CG, Thaker H, Samplaski MK. ‘Testosterone Boosting’ Supplements Composition and Claims Are not Supported by the Academic Literature. World J Mens Health. 2020;38(1):115-122. doi:10.5534/wjmh.190043

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