Regain confidence in your sexual wellness and rekindle the spark with certified menopause care and expert libido support for women during perimenopause and menopause.
Low Libido in Midlife Women - Certified Menopause Care in Columbus, Ohio
One of the most common symptoms that women experience both in perimenopause and menopause is decreased libido, vaginal dryness, and overall changes in sexual health and wellness.
This can cause women to feel less confident in intimacy and pleasure and affect their emotional and mental health around their relationships.
It’s important to understand the changes that your body is going through so that you can address the symptoms and discover both natural and medical solutions to help you navigate your journey.
Regain Confidence and Libido in Midlife
Perimenopause and menopause symptoms can come out of nowhere, and these normal and natural conditions that women go through (typically in the mid-30s to mid-50s) can cause significant changes and shifts in your physical, mental, and emotional health.
Low libido, vaginal dryness, discomfort or pain during intercourse, and other symptoms related to sexual wellness can be caused by these hormonal fluctuations you’re experiencing during this time. Because libido is tied to your sexual wellness and intimacy, this can also affect self-esteem and self-confidence.
With the right holistic approach that addresses all the symptoms you’re experiencing, you can feel free and well again.
It’s time to reclaim your health, vitality, & confidence, improve your libido, and go deeper into caring and loving yourself!
What Causes Libido Changes After 40?
HORMONAL, EMOTIONAL, AND LIFESTYLE FACTORS
How Fluctuating Hormones Impact Your Libido
There are two hormones that come into play in regards to libido: estrogen and testosterone. Estrogen is an obvious one, but testosterone can often be overlooked. Both are important hormones that help with maintaining your sexual health. Let’s dive deeper into this:
Estrogen is the primary hormone for vaginal health and blood flow to the vagina, which supports arousal, sexual pleasure, and natural lubrication.
This hormone also supports and promotes healthy vulvar tissues and elasticity (necessary to prevent pain or discomfort). When estrogen declines, the blood flow to the vagina can also decrease and lead to reduced sensations and impact how quickly you get aroused. The natural lubrication of the vagina can also decrease, causing vaginal dryness and discomfort during intercourse.
Estrogen is also responsible for maintaining the tissues and muscles in the pelvic area in general, and the decreased production of estrogen can weaken these tissues and muscles that support the pelvic floor. This is why pelvic floor care is essential for women during perimenopause and menopause.
Testosterone is commonly associated with men’s health, but it’s a necessary and natural hormone that’s produced in women as well.
This hormone influences women’s sexual desire/interest and arousal, mentally and physically, and is a component that affects energy levels, motivation, and mood regulation.
Although not discussed as much in tandem with libido, it should be noted that progesterone, another major hormone in the female body, can indirectly affect libido, desire, and overall sexual wellness.
Other symptoms caused by a decline in progesterone can actually impact libido, such as lack of sleep, mood swings, and low energy levels, which can reduce sexual interest.
How Stress and Other Menopausal Symptoms Affect Libido
Dr. Sarah Bonza considers stress as the “silent libido killer.” When dealing with fluctuating hormones, you can also experience imbalanced cortisol levels (stress hormone) and feel like you’re more stressed out than usual or get easily stressed more frequently.
This can lead to chronic stress during perimenopause and menopause if not managed properly, and this build-up of stress can impact your libido greatly.
If you’re experiencing low libido because of perimenopause or menopause, this can contribute to your stress levels. Stress can even suppress testosterone and decrease your capacity for intimacy.
There is also a possibility that a disrupted parasympathetic nervous system (helps promote relaxation) can also heighten stress and cause decreased libido. Sleep disturbances can also lead to more stress on the mind and body, and chronic fatigue can also be a libido killer.
Weight gain, menopausal belly bloat, and other body changes can cause lower self-confidence, which can also affect sexual desire.
Changing Your Lifestyle to Change Your Health and Improve Your Libido
Take a look at your current lifestyle and how it may no longer be supporting your health during your menopausal transition or while you’re in menopause.
One area to focus on is your physical activity and the type of exercise you perform on a regular basis. Strength training is highly recommended for women entering their midlife and experiencing menopausal symptoms because it can help prevent muscle loss, strengthen and protect bones, and reduce other symptoms like mood swings, low energy, and fatigue. Strength training can also boost testosterone production and bring healthy blood flow to the pelvic area, which can help combat low libido. It’s also crucial to do pelvic floor exercises and incorporate pelvic floor care into your routine to slow down the weakening of the pelvic muscles. In general, exercise helps mood regulation by releasing endorphins.
Another important area of your health to focus on adjusting and adapting to midlife is how you manage your stress. If you already have relaxation techniques at hand, it’s time to go deeper into them or change them to help you relieve stress more effectively. Sleep and stress go hand-in-hand, and frequently having low quality sleep and very little sleep can take a toll on your physical, emotional, and mental health. Practice relaxation techniques before bed, adjust your bedtime routine, and change your sleep schedule to get more quality sleep in. Practices outside your bedtime routine such as exercise can also contribute to improved sleep.
Your diet is an additional major key that can influence your symptoms, for better or for worse. For example, if you drink caffeine-heavy beverages or sugar-laden drinks regularly, this can overstimulate your body and cause your hormones and systems to go out of whack, worsening your symptoms. Preparing higher protein meals with whole foods is one of the most effective long-term diets for better menopausal health and well-being.
Our Approach to Female Sexual Wellness
Hormone Optimization + Mind-Body Support
In response to low libido in midlife women caused by fluctuating hormones and perimenopause or menopause, one of the key ways we can address this symptom, along with other symptoms, is through hormone optimization.
There are multiple ways where hormone therapy can help with libido changes, some examples include the following:
Vaginal Estrogen Targeted Support
This is a form of localized hormone therapy that can come in creams, tablets, and vaginal rings and can help with vaginal dryness, vaginal lining and elasticity, blood flow to the vagina, and vaginal microbiome.
Low-Dose Testosterone
Systemic hormone therapy can help with various menopausal symptoms. When estrogen and low-dose testosterone work together in hormone therapy, it can be beneficial for libido in areas where estrogen alone cannot help.
Hormonal Libido Support - Hormone Therapy for Menopausal Women
Hormone therapy for women over 40 who are dealing with perimenopause or menopause symptoms like fatigue is an effective option to help reduce those symptoms and restore energy.
Dr. Sarah Bonza offers FDA-approved hormone therapy for women. She creates a personalized, whole-body plan to ensure that you have everything you need to begin your journey, including comprehensive preventative medicine evaluations, such as supplement recommendations and Functional Medicine Testing. Advanced screenings such as breast MRI and bone density testing can be arranged with Dr. Bonza as well.
At Bonza Health, we offer a multi-faceted, integrative approach to embracing and managing menopausal symptoms. We dive deep to understand your current health, the symptoms you’re experiencing, and your health and wellness goals.
Dr. Sarah Bonza, the founder of Bonza Health, is a certified menopause physician who has also experienced her own perimenopause journey. You’ll have a certified specialist who deeply understands and provides you with personalized care to help you move forward.
Bonus Resource: Vitality Code
Discover the 3-step system to help women navigate these changes.
This is a free-to-watch webinar that dives deep into perimenopause (menopause women are welcome, too!) and Bonza Health’s exclusive program, the Vitality Code, which covers the key aspects of menopause management.
We hope you found the information on this page helpful and gained insights for your own health and well-being!
Take the next step and work with Dr. Bonza and the Bonza Health Team to help you manage menopausal symptoms and offer libido support.
FAQs
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Although we work with women everywhere in the U.S., our medical services are only for the states of Ohio and Michigan. If you are a resident in Ohio, please contact us if you have any questions.
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Yes, we do! We cover both perimenopause and menopause in our consultations, health and wellness programs, etc.
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Please note that perimenopause and menopause symptoms are very similar, but the experiences can be vastly different for each woman. You may have lighter symptoms during perimenopause, but the symptoms may be more intense during menopause.
Common symptoms for perimenopause include:
Irregular or missed periods
Weight gain/appetite changes
Brain fog/concentration challenges
Hot flashes/night sweats
Sleep difficulties
Breast tenderness
Intense PMS symptoms
Increased stress or anxiety
Risk of depression
Mood swings
Common symptoms for menopause include:No period for 12 months
Vaginal dryness, decreased libido, weakening pelvic floor
Muscle loss, weight gain, appetite and metabolic changes
Risk of bone loss, which can lead to osteoporosis
Brain fog, difficulty remembering or focusing
Thinning skin and dryness, hair thinning or hair loss, nail brittleness
Hot flashes/night sweats
Sleep disturbances
Losing fullness in breasts
Increased stress, anxiety, depression
Mood swings
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Yes, we do! We’re happy to provide more information on perimenopause and menopause. Here are some helpful links:
Bonza Health Shop
Dr. Bonza’s Health Essentials
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us!