Know What happens to your sex life during perimenopause

Menopause is the time that marks the end of  menstrual cycles of women. It is a natural biological process and e can happen between  40s or 50s. Menopause is characterized by a one-year absence of menstruation. It  has a particular impact on every woman in a different way.

Menopause is accompanied by a number of symptoms, such as irregular periods, hot flashes, sweating, trouble sleeping, mood swings, irritability, hip and back pain, and more.

Perimenopause is the transitional phase leading up to menopause. It usually starts several years before menopause. According to studies, the perimenopause stage might continue anywhere from 7 to 14 years in some women. Hormone levels start to decline during this stage. it results in irregular menstrual cycles, hot flashes, mood swings, sleep disturbances, vaginal dryness, and changes in libido.

Some women have no or mild symptoms, but for others, perimenopause can accompany a fall in libido and changes to the body that impact sex.

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Sheryl Kingsberg is a clinical psychologist at the Department of Reproductive Biology at Case Western University  says that during perimenopause, women who have never experienced pain during sex can start to have issues as the loss of oestrogen and other hormones changes the body.

Dr Kingsberg says that studies show that up to 80 per cent of women will develop vaginal atrophy or ‘genitourinary syndrome of menopause’ (GSM). GSM is the changes in a woman’s vulva as hormone levels decline. These include the thinning of the skin and loss of lubrication that can lead to pain. The vagina can actually narrow [or] shorten; the tissue in the labia, so the outside of the vulva, can also shrink; the clitoris itself can shrink — and that’s all because of the loss of estrogen.

There are many medical options for people experiencing pain and discomfort associated with GSM. These include hormone treatments applied directly to the vagina, suppositories, rings and gel caps. And for women who don’t want to put anything inside their vagina, there are oral pills.