Sex and Menopause: How to Enjoy Pleasure – Only Scientific Facts and Proven Methods!

If, over 50, you can hardly remember the last time you had sex – this article is for you. It’s about why it’s so important for a woman to maintain a good sexual life during menopause and how to learn to enjoy intimacy.

Our grandmothers and mothers, for the most part, viewed menopause as an inevitable "small death." With the end of menstruation, they, like a switch, turned into elderly women. The playful sparkle in their eyes, the alluring velvet tones in their voice, and their light walk all disappeared. Interest in men faded. Sex left their lives. All that was left was domestic chores, grandchildren, illness, and the gloomy anticipation of old age.

Thankfully, times have changed. Today’s women, crossing a certain threshold, want to love and be loved, have sex, and derive pleasure from it. And that’s wonderful! After all, sexual activity helps prevent many health problems and even slows down aging.

Why Is Sex Important for Health?

Menopause is the result of age-related changes. They begin around age 35 and, by 45–55, lead to the complete cessation of menstruation. All of this is accompanied by a decline in ovarian function and a decrease in the synthesis of female hormones (estrogens), which protect against a number of serious diseases.

With the onset of menopause, health problems start growing like a snowball, and this is quite understandable. From an evolutionary perspective, once a woman loses the ability to have children, she becomes useless. Therefore, nature deprives her of the protection that allowed her to withstand the hardships of pregnancy, childbirth, and caring for small children.

Approximately 80% of women approaching menopause experience hot flashes, increased sweating, irritability, tearfulness, and mood swings. Some experience depressive episodes, progressively worsening memory, and the ability to concentrate on tasks.

Deprived of hormonal support, the skin begins to age rapidly: it becomes flabby, covered with wrinkles, and flakes. Hair and nails deteriorate. The heart and blood vessels, joints, and bones are affected.

Maintaining sexual activity during menopause helps counteract destructive processes.

• Sex helps maintain ovarian hormonal function and delays their complete decline. Studies show that it delays menopause and softens menopause symptoms.
• Sex trains the heart and blood vessels, reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
• Sexual arousal and subsequent release improve blood circulation and metabolism in organs and tissues. Women who regularly experience orgasms appear more attractive and younger – it turns out it’s not just about cosmetics.
• Sex slows brain aging, helps maintain a positive attitude, clear mind, and excellent memory. Positive emotions extend life.
• Sex helps maintain warm, tender, and trusting relationships in a couple. The desire to stay attractive stimulates self-care. Being desired boosts self-esteem and ensures mental stability.
• Sex is an accessible and simple way to enjoy life, regardless of the number on the passport. But, unfortunately, age can present unpleasant surprises.

What Might Be Wrong with Sex

The most common reason for avoiding sex during menopause is lack of desire. Statistics show that only 50% of women manage to maintain interest in sex. Why?

On the one hand, a decrease in estrogen levels leads to an increase in male sex hormones, which are also present in women’s bodies. These hormones are responsible for high sexual activity. Many women, with the onset of menopause, become more liberated and passionate lovers.

On the other hand, menopause is accompanied by physiological changes that can completely nullify any sense of sexuality.

• ☹️ Decreased estrogen levels lead to the wilting of the genital organs. The labia become thinner. Their tone decreases, and even during sexual arousal, their blood flow remains insufficient.
• ☹️ This affects the work of the glands that secrete fluid to lubricate the vaginal entrance during sex.
• ☹️ Due to a lack of estrogen, the vaginal mucosa thins, becomes dry, and is easily injured during intercourse. This causes discomfort and pain and can lead to inflammatory processes.

• ☹️ The pelvic floor muscles, which support the genital organs from below, weaken. This may lead to prolapse of the uterus and vagina, causing discomfort and "gurgling" sounds during intercourse.
• ☹️ Vaginal grip density decreases. The vaginal walls do not tightly hug the penis, and both partners may need more time than before to reach orgasm.
• ☹️ Night sweats and insomnia exhaust the woman’s nervous system. Orgasms become dull and sometimes disappear altogether. It’s no surprise that against this backdrop, sex becomes an uncomfortable activity.

As a result, half of women who have crossed the menopause threshold don’t even try to show physical affection to their partner. Many build a barrier to intimacy in the form of a "grandmother image." This asexuality inevitably affects the man’s sexual attraction, and he crosses her off his list of desirable partners. Sex and love disappear from the relationship. They fade into nothing, turning into friendly or neighborly communication. Sometimes this leads to the destruction of the marriage.

How to Enjoy Sex Despite the Years

Don't give up on love. Menopause problems can be easily overcome if you change your approach slightly. Here are some tips that can help you remain sexually active.

1. Try to maintain hormonal balance

To soften the symptoms of menopause, specialists recommend taking hormone medications with estrogens and progesterone analogs — they help compensate for the age-related decrease in sex hormones. If there are contraindications to hormone therapy or a desire to avoid synthetic hormones, you might consider supplements with phytoestrogens. These plant-derived substances mimic the effects of estrogens without being hormones themselves.

2. Change your lifestyle

Now’s the time to put your dreams of a healthy lifestyle into practice. Many studies confirm that you can adjust your hormonal balance through diet and physical activity. You can compensate for a lack of estrogens by including sprouted wheat, lentils, soy, flax seeds, oats, barley, brown rice, spinach, and broccoli in your diet. To raise testosterone levels, exercise is key, particularly strength training.

3. Strengthen your pelvic floor

The pelvic floor is made up of muscles. They are structurally similar to body muscles, so they can also be trained and strengthened, just like biceps or triceps. The most famous method is Kegel exercises. In addition to that, vaginal trainers can be used.

Trainers create additional load on the pelvic muscles and increase the effectiveness of workouts. There are trainers with vibration that enhance blood circulation in the intimate area, improve tissue nutrition and lubrication, and increase the sensitivity of erogenous zones.

Don’t forget about comfort and safety during your workouts. Use lubricants to make inserting and sliding the trainer easier. After use, disinfect it with a special natural spray for disinfection. It’s suitable for disinfecting any materials.

4. More Erotic Fantasies

Many women note a lack of erotic fantasies, while men, on the contrary, have many unrealized ones. So talk more with your partner, discuss your "wants." Don’t be afraid to imagine group or rough sex, love making in unusual places, BDSM. It’s not necessary for these fantasies to become a reality — just use them to increase your libido. Also, don’t forget about joint purchases of sexy lingerie and toys, or watching adult films together.

5. Pay Special Attention to Foreplay

Since it takes more time to reach a certain level of arousal, foreplay becomes particularly important. Use all the possibilities and tools for this. Ёska has an oil lubricant, ideal for erotic massage of the entire body. The special combination of sensual oils makes every touch a true pleasure. This could be a wonderful start for passionate sex. Just don’t forget to share your feelings with your partner and guide their actions.

6. Consider Specifics

Move away from old scripts, try something new, but keep in mind the capabilities — yours and your partner's. Usually, older couples choose stable and comfortable positions for sex. These allow you to focus on the sensations and truly enjoy the intimacy. Many report that with age, sex becomes even hotter than in youth, and orgasms — more intense and prolonged.

7. Masturbate

Studies show that in order to maintain tone, health, and youth during menopause, sex should be practiced at least once a week, or at least once every two weeks. Moreover, this intimacy with a man can be replaced by masturbation.

8. Always Use Lubricants

Lubricants are absolutely essential during menopause. Even if you didn’t use them before, it’s time to try. But keep in mind that lubricants come in different types. You need safe ones.

Make sure that the lubricants do not contain additives that could harm your health, such as glycerin, silicone, and parabens. The composition should be as natural as possible, adapted to the physiology of the human body. This way, the lubricant won’t disturb the delicate balance of the intimate area, irritate the skin and mucous membranes, or cause a burning sensation.

We’ve made sure to create just such products. The Ёska line offers lubricants for all types of sex, including oral play.

• Oil-based lubricants eliminate dryness of the vulva and vagina, ease penetration, and provide perfect glide. They are optimal for older couples since they are practically not absorbed and allow long-lasting sex without worrying about needing to apply more lubricant.
• Water-based lubricants absorb more quickly, but their formulas are closest to the natural lubrication of the genital organs. They can be used during sex and as an intimate hygiene product for maintaining skin and mucosal moisture.
• Lubricants specially designed for anal sex have a thicker consistency and contain ingredients that ensure smooth sliding, protection of mucous membranes from injury and infection.

Love and be loved, regardless of age. Don’t extinguish the fire of passion within yourself, listen to your body, and your sexual life will remain as vibrant and rich as in youth. In the long run, this will help you live better and longer.

P.S.: "Love is the conqueror of all ages..." A.S. Pushkin.

 

Photos: All images taken from Pinterest for your enjoyment.