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 In a survey of nearly 4,500 women over age 50, researchers found
that less than a quarter were sexually active, according to the
report published in Menopause. While the primary reason for lack of
sexual activity was want of a partner, most often due to widowhood,
other reasons included a partner's sexual dysfunction and the
woman's own physical and/or mental health problems.
"The central message from our study is that health is an important
factor for continued sexual activity and satisfaction in older age,
but lack of communication - between healthcare professionals and
women and their partners - hinders appropriate support for those who
need it," said the study's lead author, Helena Harder, a research
fellow at Brighton and Sussex Medical School at the University of
Sussex in the UK.
To take a closer look at sex and older women, Harder and her
colleagues analyzed surveys filled out by 24,305 women, half of whom
were 64 or older. The researchers chose to focus on 4,418 women who
also filled out a comment section that allowed them to write down
their experiences in more detail.
Just 22.5% of the women, whose ages ranged from 50 to 75, said they
had had intercourse in the preceding month. Lack of an intimate
partner was the most common reason women cited, at 34.7%, for giving
up sex. Among the 65.3% of women who did have a partner, just 34.5
reported being sexually active in the preceding month.
In the comments section, women talked about issues such as menopause
symptoms, including vaginal dryness and painful sex, embarrassment
about their bodies, lack of libido and medical conditions or sexual
dysfunction in partners as obstacles to sexual activity.
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While speaking with a doctor might help with some of those issues,
those conversations often don't occur, Harder said. "There is still
a stigma around aging and sexuality, and we know that healthcare
conversations about sex can be difficult for both doctors and
patients," she said in an email. "We know that aging in and of
itself is not a barrier to healthy sexual activity and there are
things that can be done to ensure this is maintained."
Harder would like to see healthcare providers be more proactive in
bringing up the subject with women. "This could 'open the door' for
women - and their partners - and might invite them to talk more
openly about possible changes or concerns associated with aging
and/or menopause."
Although the surveys were conducted among British women, the study's
findings most likely also apply to women in the U.S., said Dr.
Judith Volkar, a midlife physician and quality director for the
department of obstetrics and gynecology at Magee-Womens Hospital of
UPMC in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "The women's complaints are
certainly reflective of my practice and I can't imagine things in
British society that are culturally different from ours."
Volkar suggests that women talk to their providers if they'd like to
have intercourse but are experiencing discomfort or pain. "If you
have any questions ask your provider," she said. "And if they make
you feel uncomfortable, then find a new provider."
SOURCE: https://bit.ly/2LUwATo Menopause, online July 8, 2019.
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