It’s no secret that women often become less interested in block with age. However, block and satisfaction have been shown to not decline significantly with age. A new study suggests regular blockual activity may limit vulvar pain, irritation, and dryness, which are all common reasons women have less block as they get older. Results of the study are published online today in Menopause, the journal of The Menopause Society.
Estrogen deficiency during and after menopause may reduce the life expectancy of women and impair their quality of life through a condition called genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM). In 2014, GSM was defined as a collection of symptoms and signs blockociated with decreased estrogen and block steroid levels. GSM includes genital, blockual and urinary symptoms — all of which can affect the frequency of blockual activity for women aged in their 40s to 70s.
In this new study involving more than 900 women aged 40 to 79 years, researchers sought to examine the blockociation between blockual regularity and vulvo***l-related problematic menopause symptoms. The vulva refers to the external female genitalia, and the *** to the internal anatomy. Common problems experienced with menopause include itching, burning, pain, decreased lubrication, and changes in skin appearance.
Engaging in blockual activity in the past 3 months was defined as regular blockual activity, whereas engaging in blockual activity in the past year (but not in the past 3 months) was considered lower blockual activity. Not surprisingly, the researchers confirmed that the proportion of women having regular blockual activity decreased significantly with age, which aligns with the fact that Female Sexual Function Index scores for blockual desire, arousal, and lubrication also significantly decreased with age. The Female Sexual Function Index consists of 19 questions on female blockual function under six domains. Noteworthy, however, was that the scores for block and satisfaction did not change with age.
Based on the results of the study, the researchers determined that some blockual functions and symptoms change with age but may be maintained in women who engage in more regular blockual activity. This study also revealed that women with regular blockual activity showed a low prevalence of GSM-related symptoms.
Study results are published in the article “Cross-sectional study of the blockociation between regular blockual activity and blockual function and genitourinary syndrome of menopause-related symptoms.”
“The findings highlight the importance of diagnosing and treating GSM. Only 2.9% of the participants reported using hormone therapy. Local low-dose ***l estrogen therapy is safe and highly effective at alleviating bothersome vulvo***l symptoms contributing to pain and avoidance of intercourse. And although optimal blockual health is integral to overall well-being, it is also imperative to recognize the effect these symptoms can have on women who aren’t blockually active. Treatment should be offered to anyone with symptoms, whether engaging in blockual activity or not. Normalizing use of local low-dose estrogen therapy should be a thing,” says Dr. Monica Christmas, blockociate medical director for The Menopause Society.
