When it comes to sexual health, we men are prone to experience problems with erectile dysfunction. Still, it seems to me that aging women have it a lot worse.
First, they have to suffer through the hot flashes and night sweats associated with menopause. This goes on for an average of about seven years, but can continue for as many as 14.
Then, they have to spend the remainder of their lives living with the consequences of the hormonal shifts that occurred during menopause. And it can really wreck their sex lives.
One thing that happens after menopause is that the vagina becomes drier and lubrication is reduced during sexual activity. So that right there can reduce the female sex drive.
But the reduction in estrogen levels can also result in vaginal pain, burning and irritation, reduced vaginal elasticity (atrophy), and recurring urinary tract infections.
Who can feel sexy with all of that going on, right?
This collection of symptoms was given a name in 2014. (This just goes to shows you exactly how little attention is paid to women’s sexual health issues.)
It is called “the genitourinary syndrome of menopause,” or GSM for short. And it can really affect a woman’s quality of life.
Every Postmenopausal Woman Needs to Know This!
Every postmenopausal woman needs to know about this condition and what to do about it. Every man who has a postmenopausal woman in his life needs to share this information with her.
That’s because only around 25% of symptomatic women receive adequate treatment. The other 75% seem to think it’s all just part of the aging process, and never even bother to seek help.
Well, believe me. Vaginal pain and dryness are not conditions women just “have to live with.”
It’s something I see all of the time in my practice. I have these postmenopausal women coming in and they’ve been living with these issues for years, and they’ve never been dealt with.
As a result, they are no longer sexually active. They are sick and tired of getting UTIs. And, unfortunately, those recurring UTIs are an even a bigger problem than most women realize.
You see, up to a third of all sepsis cases begin with a UTI, generally one that us untreated or undertreated. The medical term for this condition is urosepsis, and it’s estimated that somewhere between 30% and 40% of these cases result in death.
As a matter of fact, in early 2021 this condition made headlines when postmenopausal actress Tanya Roberts passed away because of UTI related sepsis at the age of 71. She was a popular actress back in the 1980’s and 1990’s, appearing in television shows such as Charlie’s Angels and That ‘70’s Show.
She just collapsed after walking her dogs and, less than two weeks later, she was gone.
So while the majority of urinary tract infections don’t usually develop into sepsis, it does happen and you need to be aware of that risk.
Prevent UTIs. Improve Orgasms. Reduce Pain During Sex.
The sad part about all of this is that there is a simple and easy way to treat postmenopausal vaginal symptoms.
I personally recommend vaginal estrogen or DHEA creams and inserts. These are often used to treat vaginal pain, but are often overlooked when it comes to postmenopausal vaginal dryness and UTIS. Yet, they can make all the difference in the world.
These creams and inserts are like FloMax for women!
They keep the vagina moist, healthy and robust. They help prevent UTIs, restore healthy vaginal tissue, improve orgasms and reduce pain during sex. And they shouldn’t be all that difficult to obtain. Just explain your symptoms to your doctor and get him or her to write up a prescription.
In the meantime, there is absolutely no reason in the world that a woman’s sexual health should be any less important than a man’s. Yet, male sexual issues have long received more attention than female sexual concerns. So please! Share this important article with any postmenopausal women in your life.
SOURCES:
Portman DJ, Gass ML; Vulvovaginal Atrophy Terminology Consensus Conference Panel. Genitourinary syndrome of menopause: new terminology for vulvovaginal atrophy from the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health and the North American Menopause Society. Menopause. 2014 Oct;21(10):1063-8.
Naumova I, Castelo-Branco C. Current treatment options for postmenopausal vaginal atrophy. Int J Womens Health. 2018 Jul 31;10:387-395.
Wagenlehner FME, Pilatz A, Weidner W, Naber KG. Urosepsis: Overview of the Diagnostic and Treatment Challenges. Microbiol Spectr. 2015 Oct;3(5).
Porat A, Bhutta BS, Kesler S. Urosepsis. [Updated 2023 May 29]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; Last updated May 2023.
Pięta W, Smolarczyk R. Vaginal dehydroepiandrosterone compared to other methods of treating vaginal and vulvar atrophy associated with menopause. Prz Menopauzalny. 2020 Dec;19(4):195-199.
La Rosa VL, Ciebiera M, Lin LT, Fan S, Butticè S, Sathyapalan T, Jędra R, Lordelo P, Favilli A. Treatment of genitourinary syndrome of menopause: the potential effects of intravaginal ultralow-concentration oestriol and intravaginal dehydroepiandrosterone on quality of life and sexual function. Prz Menopauzalny. 2019 Jun;18(2):116-122.
Rahn DD, Carberry C, Sanses TV, Mamik MM, Ward RM, Meriwether KV, Olivera CK, Abed H, Balk EM, Murphy M; Society of Gynecologic Surgeons Systematic Review Group. Vaginal estrogen for genitourinary syndrome of menopause: a systematic review. Obstet Gynecol. 2014 Dec;124(6):1147-1156.
Tan-Kim J, Shah NM, Do D, Menefee SA. Efficacy of vaginal estrogen for recurrent urinary tract infection prevention in hypoestrogenic women. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2023 Aug;229(2):143.e1-143.e9.
