There’s a”painful” facts regarding menopause. Among the usual symptoms related to this point of existence is that sexual stimulation starts to hurt. During a recent HealthyWomen survey, sponsored by Duchesnay USA, we discovered that while 62% of respondents reported experiencing pain during or after sex, just under half comprehended that this pain is actually linked to menopause.
While 73% of women surveyed indicated that they were sexually active after menopause, 83 percent of respondents to questions about pain reported suffering from pain in half or more cases of sexual action with 73% rating the pain mild to severe.
So. What are women doing to deal with this pain? In some cases, maybe not much.
Nearly 60 percent of respondents stated that they had never discussed their painful sex with their health care provider. In actuality, 45% of women who answered questions about management techniques said that they had been using formulations to cope with the pain, even while just one in three were resorting to avoiding sex altogether.
Yes, this pain is a pure symptom occasionally related to menopause. Before menopause, estrogen helps maintain the thickness and elasticity of the vaginal tissues, but as you get older, estrogen levels fall causing shift in these cells. These changes can lead to a medical condition called vulvar and vaginal atrophy, which can cause debilitating sex, known as dyspareunia.
But this pain doesn’t need to be accepted as a standard part of the aging procedure that women must simply handle. More importantly, this pain will not go away by itself, and it can get worse if not properly handled. However, 69% of respondents were not aware that the painful sex they were experiencing is curable.
Beginning the dialogue with your healthcare provider about painful sex may not be simple, but it’s a significant step toward enjoying pain-free intimacy. Satisfaction with your sex life may be significant for health-related quality of life at any age. Menopause certainly doesn’t have to mean the end of intercourse.
Make it a priority to talk with your health care provider about painful sex in another appointment. This is some information that you should have on hand to discuss:
- The date of the last menstrual period.
- How frequently you experience pain during or after sexual intercourse.
- How intense is your pain during or after sex? Moderate? Intense?
- How are you currently coping with anxiety during or after sex?
Make sure you ask your wellbeing care provider about therapy options. Painful sex can be managed with lubricants or lotions, but these simply offer temporary relief and don’t deal with the underlying condition causing the pain.
There are prescription options that can treat moderate to severe painful intercourse, including a once-daily, hormone-free oral pill, which provides women with an alternate option to vaginally applied or added treatments.
If you experience moderate to intense pain during intercourse, talk to your medical care provider about treatment choices that work better for you and your lifestyle. It’s very important to discuss the risks and benefits of treatment options with your health care provider to find out which one is best for you.