Menopause: A Desert or a Sexual Awakening?

Many women dread menopause and the symptoms that often accompany it. But menopause doesn't have to mean the end of your sex life or your wellbeing! In this article, we'll explore what happens in the body during this phase of life - and give you tips to get through it with ease.

Oct 01, 2024by Miriam Johansen
7 min read
Illustration of a woman in menopause

What is Menopause?

Menopause is a natural phase in a woman's life. During this time, a number of hormonal changes occur in the body, which can manifest themselves both physically and emotionally.

For most women, menopause starts between the ages of 45 and 55. The period usually lasts for 1-2 years. But for some, it can last for a few months or up to ten years.

You may associate menopause with hot flushes, extra kilos around the waist and mood swings? But menopause is much more than that.

For many, it's also a relief to finally get rid of PMS and the monthly period, and menopausal women often report a greater sense of freedom, joy and self-awareness.

What Happens in Menopause?

As you approach menopause, your ovaries begin to produce less of the hormones oestrogen and progesterone, which can cause menopause symptoms.

Your body undergoes several physiological changes as a result of lower levels of:

  • Oestrogen
  • Progesterone
  • Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH)
  • Luteinising hormone (LH)

But it's only when the ovaries stop releasing oestrogen and progesterone completely that you have reached menopause.

READ MORE: Why the Endocrine System is So Important for Women

Illustration of women's oestrogen levels over the different decades
Around the age of 40, oestrogen levels often start to decline

By taking a blood test to measure your hormone balance, you can find out if menopause is underway.

The most common blood test checks the hormone FSH. This hormone helps control ovarian oestrogen production and increases with menopause, while oestrogen and progesterone decrease.

Women's Menopause Can be Divided Into 3 Phases:

  • PERIMENOPAUSE: The period before and after menopause when the female body undergoes physical and emotional changes due to hormonal changes. Read more about perimenopause here.
  • MENOPAUSE: Defined by a woman's very last menstrual period. For most, this happens around the age of 50.
  • POSTMENOPAUSE: The time after the last menstrual period, with or without symptoms.

A little tip: You usually can't get pregnant after menopause. However, it is recommended to use contraception for 12 months after your last period to be on the safe side.

Menopause Symptoms

Although all women eventually go through menopause, the transition is experienced differently from woman to woman. But these are the most common symptoms of menopause:

In the period before menopause, it's common to experience irregular periods. Bleeding usually decreases in amount and frequency as you approach menopause.

READ MORE: Red Clover: Making Menopause More Comfortable

Woman with hot flushes
Around 80% of women experience hot flushes during menopause

Here are the most common menopause symptoms:

  • Hot flashes: Sudden feeling of heat in the face, neck and chest. Hot flashes can also be triggered by the caffeine in coffee or spicy food.
  • Night sweats: Hot flushes that occur at night.
  • Trouble sleeping: It's not uncommon to struggle to fall asleep or experience nightly awakenings. Many also wake up earlier than usual.
  • Reduced sex drive (libido).
  • Vaginal dryness: Discomfort and itching during sex due to the vaginal mucosa becoming thinner and drier during menopause.
  • Memory problems and difficulties with concentration.
  • Headaces.
  • Mood swings, such as low mood or anxiety.
  • Palpitations: heartbeat that suddenly becomes more noticeable.
  • Stiff joints.
  • Reduced muscle mass and weight gain: Excess kilos often settle around the waist.

READ MORE: Have You Experienced These? 13 signs of Menopause

How Do You Get Through Menopause in the Best Way?

While we can't stop the natural cycles of life, there are many things you can do to take better care of yourself during menopause.

Here are 12 tips to ease the discomfort and make it easier to cope with this new phase of life:

  1. Ensure regular exercise such as brisk walking, jogging, cycling or swimming. Strength training can help reduce body fat, strengthen muscles and burn calories more efficiently.
  2. Yoga and deep breathing exercises can help relieve hot flashes and sleep problems.
  3. Body nutrition: Make sure to increase your intake of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and eat plenty of whole grains, fruit and vegetables. To get enough protein, eat fish, poultry, legumes, etc.
  4. Stop smoking: It makes hot flushes worse and disrupts sleep.
  5. Drink less alcohol!
  6. Seek help if you experience anxiety or major mood swings.
  7. Watch your bedtimes and make sure you get enough sleep and rest.
  8. Do Kegel exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor (see illustration below)
  9. Don't be afraid to talk to family or friends about what's happening to you.
  10. Explore new ways to be intimate with your partner.
  11. Hobbies are good for the body: Studies have shown that fun activities can lower blood pressure, reduce cholesterol and BMI.
  12. Hormone therapy: Oestrogen therapy can help with hot flushes and sleep problems, but due to the risk of side effects, this treatment is not always recommended for long-term use.
Woman doing kegel exercises for the pelvic floor
The KEGEL EXERCISES were developed by American gynaecologist Dr Arnold H. Kegel in the late 1940s. The technique is designed to give you more harmony and inner balance.

Sex Can Get Even Better After Menopause

Unlike the insecure 20-somethings, many women find that sex gets better with age because they know what they want from their partner. Regular sex is also good for increasing blood flow in the vagina.

With menopause, the need for contraception also disappears, which can make sex better for many. A lubricant can increase pleasure and prevent discomfort in a dry vagina.

The benefits of sex after menopause include:

  • Sex can have a positive effect on mood swings by reducing stress. Among other things, touch releases the hormone oxytocin, which promotes relaxation.
  • Sex after menopause is good for the vagina as it leads to increased blood supply. In other words, regular sex is important to keep vaginal tissue healthy.
  • Sex strengthens the pelvic floor. Around 30 per cent of women experience incontinence at some point in their lives. Kegel exercises are a way to strengthen the pelvic floor in addition to sex. During orgasm, the muscles of the pelvic floor contract, which strengthens them.
  • Sex gets your heart rate up. While sex shouldn't replace regular exercise, sex helps increase your heart rate and you burn around 5 calories per minute.
  • You sleep better. Sex increases oxytocin and lowers cortisol, while orgasms release prolactin. The result is a drowsy state that gives you a deeper and more restful sleep.

In other words, sex after menopause has a number of benefits. At this age, many are also at the peak of self-esteem and better able to enjoy sex.

Try a Dietary Supplement for Menopause

4HER Menopause is a dietary supplement created by women, for women, with vitamins and plant extracts - carefully selected to help you through menopause in the best possible way.

Would you like to try it?

*4HER Menopause is a dietary supplement and cannot replace medication or relieve symptoms of illness