|
Nov. 19, 2004 — Here’s the disturbing fact you probably already know: As a
woman ages and hormone levels drop, so too can her enjoyment of — and
oftentimes desire for — sex.
Here’s the good news: Though saying goodbye to hormones and sex may happen
in the same breath, the latest research indicates that sexual desire has less
to do with this change than it does with lifestyle and other health
factors, at least some of which are under a woman’s direct control.
These are the encouraging results reported by a group of distinguished
European sex experts this month in the first ever supplement to
Menopause, the journal of the North American Menopause Society.
“The findings have helped healthcare professionals discard the notion
that sexual difficulties occurring close to menopause are either biologic or
,” writes Rosemary Basson, FRCP, a professor of psychiatry and
of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of British Columbia and guest
editor of the special issue.
The new research was part of a series of studies conducted on female sexual
dysfunction by the department of clinical psychiatry and psychotherapy at
Hannover Medical School in Hannover, Germany. As part of the overall project,
102 women aged 20 to “45 plus” answered 165 queries designed to flush
out determinants of female sexual .
, researchers hoped to determine satisfaction with sex life in
general, sexual satisfaction and orgasm during intercourse, petting,
masturbation, attitudes towards sexuality, quality of partnership, and sexual
myths.
What the study found: There appeared to be no age differences with respect
to frequency of sexual intercourse or the desire for sexual activity not
involving intercourse among the differing age groups.
Moreover, age did not make a difference in regard to frequency of orgasm or
in sexual satisfaction ratings with their partners. For example, 29% of women
up to age 45 reported having orgasms “very often,” compared with 26% of
women over age 45.
Even more dramatic was that while 41% of women over age 45 reported having
orgasms “often,” only 29% of younger women reported having orgasm
“often.”
Among the few differences in the groups: Women over 45 reported having fewer
orgasms during sexual activity or during masturbation. Both
groups of women reported a dual dimension necessary for successful lovemaking
that included having both feelings of emotional closeness to their partner and
satisfactory physical experiences.
After comparing all the answers from both older and younger women, as well
as from women who reported sexual problems and those who did not, researchers
concluded that the single most influential factor with regard to sexual
satisfaction via intercourse was the quality of the partnership, in particular
the quality of mutual respect, which then becomes of greater importance as a
woman ages.
After comparing these study results to earlier and ongoing findings, the
researchers concluded that the basis of any sexual problems that did occur at
midlife could not be drawn from menopause status or age alone. Instead, they
write, “Life stressors, contextual factors, past sexuality, and mental
health problems are more predictors of midlife women’s sexual
interest than menopause status itself.”
The study was one of just several research papers presented in the journal
this month on the subject of female sexual dysfunction. All strived to shed
much needed light on a subject that some believe has been hidden in the shadows
too long.
For NYU professor of gynecology Steven Goldstein, MD, the findings validate
what he has long suspected to be true.
“It’s quite wonderful that this is being studied and that the results
reinforce what I, and I think many doctors have long believed — that this
whole issue of changes in midlife sexual function is not a simple case of ‘take
away the hormones, take away the desire,’” Goldstein tells WebMD.
Moreover, he adds that “As we go forward, understanding all of the
complex, non-hormonal elements that affect a woman’s sexuality remains crucial,
particularly when deciding who is a candidate for a hormonal treatment that
might help increase desire and who might benefit more from simple lifestyle
changes,” says Goldstein.
|