Whether you want to know or your husband wants to know… either way… let's talk sex. Sorry about not putting a more sultry photo with this post, but there's enough of that on the internet anyway… but I thought this road sign was more appropriate

If you are reaching perimenopause age or beyond and you find yourself asking, “Where did my sex drive go?” you are not alone. Many women as they go through the menopausal changes notice a decrease in their drive for sex. Doctors can usually remedy a man’s problem with a pill nowadays, but for women it is more multifactorial and a simple pill will not usually do the trick.
If a woman is suffering with depression it can affect sex drive because of the emotional side of women that is also involved. This is seen mostly with younger women, but can affect older women as well. Most doctors find that as a woman gets older her sex drive decreases due to the aging process. When perimenopause starts ovulation is not as frequent and this causes the change in hormones which affect the drive for sex, especially around the time of ovulation when women are usually full of drive.

Another way the hormones affect the physical body is once estrogen decreases it reduces the estrogen in the genitals sometimes causing vaginal tissue to dry and shrink, which can make intercourse painful. There are estrogen creams and other remedies that your doctor can suggest to help in this area. A drop in testosterone can also cause a lack of sex drive in women, especially in midlife. So, some women may need to add back in a small amount of testosterone to their bodies to level out their hormones.

Ask your doctor about the different tests that can be done to see what might be the causing factor or factors before trying to treat things yourself. Here are some other things you will want to know:

• Get a blood test for thyroid function and iron deficiency, both can affect sex drive.
• Discuss if you are suffering from any depression.
• Estrogen therapy, localized like noted earlier, can help the vaginal symptoms as well as may increase sexual drive. Oral estrogens can increase cancer risk and heart disease, so carefully evaluate that if you desire oral estrogen.
• Use a vitamin E capsule in the vagina a few times a week to restore hydration and use lubrication when having sex.
• Ask your doctor about hormone testing, blood tests and/or salivary testing, to see if there may be an imbalance that could be remedied.

Having libido drop can be a frustrating thing, especially when dealing with hot flashes and mood swings also. But with proper evaluation and the use of some remedies or a combination of them, it doesn’t have to be such a frustrating time.

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