Insomnia, hot flashes, weight gain, lack of energy, anxiety… These are some of the symptoms of menopause. The age at which it occurs varies from one woman to another, but, on average, it appears between 45 and 53 years old.
Not everyone feels the same or with the same frequency. Physical and emotional changes during this stage of life that also have consequences in the sexual field: less times and with “less” pleasure.
Laura Cameranurse specialist in gynecology and obstetrics and expert in sexology, has just published her second book Sexopause (Vergara), where he breaks down the information that “we needed about sexuality during menopause with a closer look, with recommendations that will not go unnoticed.”
Although it is aimed at female readers, it is important that men “understand the changes that their partners undergo during menopause and the changes that can occur during sexual relations.”
The vaginal dryness It is one of the best-known consequences, but pain and sometimes bleeding at the slightest touch are also common. “In consultation I have treated women who have had pain when having sexual relations for 15 years and have kept it a secret.”
Published by the Vergara publishing house, this book claims to end the taboo and consider women’s pleasure as a right and a fundamental element of quality of life. With a close and positive vision of sex during menopause, she invites you to discover, from her experience as a professional, and provides recommendations that will not go unnoticed, revolutionizing women’s female sexuality.
The taboo surrounding menopause
There is more and more talk about menopause. However, social stigma and the ignorance that accompanies saying goodbye to your period continues to cause fear and shame in many women. Hence, if there is any problem or discomfort during sexual relations, there is a certain tendency to go to a specialist.
“Now luckily we have a lot of information on the Internet and It is becoming normal to talk about this topicbut it is still a bit difficult to specifically go to a sexology professional and tell them about a problem.”
Women “feel ashamed” to ask questions about their own genitals or sexual experiences during menopause. “We specialists have to sing the mea culpa because we have not known how to communicate to the patients so that they feel free to ask, because in the end it is something that, sooner or later, will happen to all of us.”
Menopause is the date on which a woman has had her last period. But it must have been at least 12 months. Premenopause is the period before the arrival of menopause, generally between 2 and 8 years before. Postmenopause occurs just after this stage: between 1 and 6 years. The climacteric is the period in which the loss of reproductive capacity occurs, it is considered to range from 2 to 8 years before menopause to 2 or 6 years after.
There is no age limit for sex: these are its benefits
Sex, whether experienced alone or shared with another person, is pleasurable. In sexual relations, our brain produces endorphinswhich are substances that generate excitement, satisfaction and well-being. Regular practice helps to enhance our physiological defenses and “fight” viruses, bacteria and other pathogens.
And it’s really beneficial with cardiovascular health, to strengthen relationship and emotional connection and reduce stress. “It is essential for improve quality of lifesleep better, feel more fulfilled and even facilitate good physical shape.”
Therefore, during menopause you can resort to strategies to make sexual relations just as pleasurable. Because, as Laura Cámara clarifies in a telephone conversation with this newspaper, “sex, once menopause arrives, does not have to be worse.”
There are hormonal treatments to improve libido in women, which usually arrives before the “official” onset of menopause.
The loss of sexual desire is due to the drop in estrogen, which causes vaginal atrophy and a list of well-known consequences: thinning, dryness and inflammation of the vaginal walls.
