Menopause Put Your Sex Life on Pause?

Ever since you went into menopause, sex is painful. So painful in fact that you don’t want to have it. You pretend to be sick, too tired. Even pretend to be asleep. You used to enjoy sex so much. Used to have an amazing sex life. Why do you feel this way? Is it normal? Is there anything you can do about this? Do other women experience this?

Even though I can’t see you, I feel you. I understand your nervousness, apprehension about even thinking about this. To put you at ease, let me first start by saying, “you are not alone.” Painful sex is a deterrent for lots of women in menopause, which frankly, is a huge reason so many women in menopause no longer engage in it, or put it off by any means necessary.

Menopause. Defined as having gone an entire year without a period. Most women are familiar with the hot flashes, and night sweats that commonly accompany this state, however, hardly anyone ever talks about the other symptoms, or occurrences that go along with being in menopause. I’m speaking specifically about dry vagina. Painful intercourse. Sound familiar?

The first step is identifying the cause.

Most painful intercourse in menopausal women is due to something called atrophy. This condition is caused by lack of estrogen in the vagina. This, of course, is a hallmark finding in menopause.

Lack of estrogen in the vagina, all resulting from the ovaries no longer producing the same amounts of estrogen that they once did, causes all sorts of changes in the vagina. In fact, it completely changes the architecture of the vagina. An estrogen depleted vagina is no longer lubricated, hence the constant feelings of being dry and irritated. It no longer has the folds or rugae that allow stretching and accommodating. The tissue is no longer supple, but instead is very sensitive, and thin.

The other thing worth mentioning is that the blood flow to the vagina is likely somewhat diminished as it isn’t getting the same amount of use that it did in the past. I can’t much blame you for this. Who, after all, wants to have painful sex? Just thinking about it is enough to cause you to tense up, which, of course, doesn’t lend itself to pleasurable sexual escapades.

Not to fear. This is something that can be addressed. And yes, with treatment, you can get back to having great sex. I would recommend seeing your obgyn to discuss various treatment options which will range from vaginal estrogen, heavy lubricants, dilators to help underutilized va-jay-jays get their stretch back. There is even a surgical option available to help rejuvenate the vaginal tissue/revive the blood supply. The aforementioned can be used solo or in tandem depending on which treatment option is the best for you.

If you are going through this, know that you are not alone. To learn more about Dr. Angela’s work with women, visit http://askdrangela.com/