Studies Report that a third of women report low sexual desire
Scientific studies have consistently shown that about one third of US women report low sexual desire or interest, and that this low desire is troubling to about one in three of those women. Research shows that women experience vaginal dryness and low sexual desire during menopause. Researchers Fernandes, Costa-Paiva and Pinto-Neto outline the benefits of testosterone on post-menopausal women in a 2014 study.
What is sexual desire made of?
Sexual desire is your interest in sex and in being sexual. It has three components:
- Biological Drive. It manifests as sexual thoughts and fantasies, erotic attraction to others, seeking out sexual activity, or genital tingling or sensitivity.
- Beliefs and values about sexual activity. Your natural drive may be tempered by your personal attitudes toward sex, which are shaped by your culture, your religious beliefs, your family, your peers, and media influences.
- Motivation. This component involves your willingness to behave sexually at a given time and with a given partner.
What causes loss of libido, vaginal dryness and vaginal atrophy?
Vaginal atrophy refers to the thinning, drying and inflammation of the vaginal walls due to your body having less estrogen. During menopause, the physical effects of falling estrogen levels—including hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness—can undermine sexual motivation and drive. Age-related decrease in testosterone may reduce desire in midlife women, as this hormone plays a role in women’s sex drive and sexual sensation.
The Research Says….
A 2014 article in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, studied the efficacy of vaginally applied estrogen, testosterone, or polyacrylic acid on sexual function in postmenopausal women. A randomized controlled clinical trial on 80 postmenopausal women between 40 and 70 years of age with follow-up at the Menopause Clinic of the CAISM Unicamp. The women were randomized to treatment with topical vaginal estrogen, testosterone, polyacrylic acid, or oil lubricant alone, three times a week for a period of 12 weeks from November 2011 to January 2013. The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) was used to assess changes in sexual response at baseline, and after 6 and 12 weeks.
After 12 weeks of treatment, topical testosterone produced improvements in the Female Sexual Function Index domains of sexual desire, lubrication, satisfaction, reduced pain during intercourse, and total score compared with lubricant alone. Furthermore, women who used testosterone showed improvements over time in the fields of arousal, orgasm, and satisfaction.
Treatment with topical estrogen in comparison with lubricant alone showed an improvement in the FSFI field of desire. The intragroup analysis over the time of the treatment showed improvements in the fields of desire, lubrication, and reduced pain for polyacrylic acid, testosterone, and estrogen (such as estriol vaginal cream).
If you experience vaginal dryness, loss of libido or lack of sexual desire you are not alone. Please contact us for more information. If you would like to have your hormone levels checked, please call us or visit our online store.