One in four women over the age of 40 believe that sex is still important in their life. A result to be related to sexual function and satisfaction.
- Contrary to what other studies have claimed, the decline in desire in women over 40 is not a natural part of aging, but is linked to a decline in sexual function.
- Thus, women with neither depression nor major symptoms of menopause continue for the most part to consider sex as important in their lives.
If popular belief leads us to think that women lose interest in sex as they age, sexual fulfillment remains important for them throughout their lives. This is demonstrated by a new study presented this Monday, September 28 at the 2020 virtual annual meeting of the North American Menopause Society (NAMS). According to its authors, 25% of women in their forties who participated in the work said that sex was still important to them. A desire linked not only to their satisfaction, but also to their sexual function. In other words, those with compelling symptoms of menopause or depression are less likely to value their sex life as they get older.
Very heterogeneous results
Several studies have previously shown that the importance of sex is strongly correlated with sexual function in middle-aged women, and longitudinal studies have allowed researchers to examine how the importance of sex changes with age. But these were all based on the principle that women lose interest in sexuality as they age.
To assess which factors influenced women’s interest in sex from the age of 40, at the onset of perimenopause (the first symptoms of menopause), the researchers recruited 3,200 women. Factors included ethnicity, education, partner status, body mass index, blood pressure, menopause status, hormones, symptoms of depression, perceived stress, use of antidepressants, sexual orientation, sexual satisfaction, pelvic pain, vaginal dryness and hot flashes.
The results obtained show a great heterogeneity of responses. Thus, 45% of women said that sex was important in their early forties but became less and less so over the years. For 27% of women, sex remained very important throughout quarantine while a quarter of respondents (28%) felt that sex was of low importance in their life during quarantine.
Better understand the causes of the decline of desire
The researchers compared the answers with the ethnic origins of the respondents. Black women were more likely to view sex as important during their 40s, while Chinese and Japanese women considered it unimportant, or saw their interest wane as they aged.
Another interesting data: that related to sexual function. Thus, women with symptoms of depression are more likely to attach little importance to their sex life, or even to neglect it altogether. Finally, the higher the sexual satisfaction, the more important it is to maintain the quality of sexual relations over time.
For Dr. Stephanie Faubion, Medical Director of NAMS, this study is important because it provides “valuable insights to health care providers who might otherwise see a woman’s decline in sexual desire as a natural part of aging.”. Gold, “there are often other treatable reasons, such as vaginal dryness or depression, that explain why a woman’s interest in sex has diminished”.
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