I’m 52 years old and about 3 years post menapause. I’m having problems with pain during intercourse. I do not have a dryness issue and do not wish to go on HRT. My doctor has been of no help. She has suggested a sex therapist. I have lost interest in sex, but the discomfort is not in my head.
0 Answers
Cheryl Wilson wrote on :
Let me relay what my doctor told me about the same problem! She said your vagina is like any other muscle in your body. You use it or lose it! Infrequent intercourse can make for painful intercourse. She recommended using a lubricant and a dildo each night to stretch the walls of the vagina. It works! It does take about 6-8 weeks but diligent usage makes for far less pain. We ladies who are FOF enter a different passage with our partners as we age. Their sex drive is slowing and ours can remain the same. Paying a sex therapist for a purely physical problem is not the answer here. I am so thankful to have a doctor who still uses old common horse sense!
zipporahs wrote on :
Have you considered going to a doctor who specializes in Bio-identical hormones like BodyLogicMD? Once I started using the creams my doctor gave me, the discomfort and dryness went away.
Danielle Kramer wrote on :
Loss of interest in sex or loss of sexual desire is common amongst women of all ages, especially postmenopausal women who have completed child bearing and who experience a decline in estrogen and testosterone from the ovary. If intercourse is painful due to lack of lubrication, this worsens the desire for intercourse. Various medications and untreated depression and anxiety can also contribute to low desire. You should discuss all these factors with your women’s health specialist or gynecologist. In the interim you can check out the National American Menopause Society’s (NAMS) website for more educations and advice on sexual health: http://www.menopause.org/sex.aspx You can find more detailed health information on the Speaking of Womenâs Health website at http://speakingofwomenshealth.com/health_library/listing/category/health_information/ I encourage you to subscribe to our monthly email newsletter where I share up to date health information, recipes and more http://www.fathompbm.com/SpeakingofWomensHealth/SWH-FOF.html
Staness Jonekos wrote on :
Every woman experiences her midlife years differently. The changes that occur during this period, including changes in sexual well-being, are typically caused by a mix of both menopause and aging, as well as by typical midlife stresses and demands.
Without additional information (what meds you are on, previous medical history, where you feel pain- deep inside or outside), please review the following links:
http://www.menopausemakeover.com/2011/02/12/how-to-feel-sexy-during-menopause/
http://www.menopause.org/menopauseflashes0904vulvodynia.aspx
http://www.nva.org/
http://www.menopause.org/SHM/4vulva.aspx
If you need a second opinion, the North American Menopause Society has a wonderful certified clinicians referral service available for you:
http://www.menopause.org/findclinician.aspx
I applaud your determination to find a solution. Don’t give up, continue to get informed. I hope the above information leads you down the path of proper diagnosis.
RitaMimi King wrote on :
I am having this issue, although I do have the dryness. My doctor recommended a hormone cream that I use at bedtime twice a week. She says it is not absorbed into the bloodstream so it is safer, but the area does receive the benefits. I have only been using a quarter of the applicator, once a week and have noticed a big difference already. the area, which had “thinned out”, is now “plumped up” and not as sensitive and dry and painful. We tried three options. She offered me two brands creams, one tablet insert.. The tablets did not help me at all, but they may help others, they were Vagimen inserts One cream was Premarin. My body did not absorb that one. The second one is Estrace Cream. I have done well with it. I don’t know if there are other natural alternatives or not. I liked that the prescription does not get into the blood stream and that my doctor felt comfortable presscribing for me. I hope that this information helps you.