Sex after menopause helps women live longer

Regular sex can counter some of the more uncomfortable symptoms of the menopause.

Women who regularly have sex have fewer menopausal symptoms such as itching, burning, pain, decreased lubrication, and changes in skin appearance.

But a more active sex life could also help women live longer.  Estrogen deficiency during and after menopause may reduce the life expectancy of women, and the problem has been given a name:  genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM). GSM has been defined as a collection of symptoms associated with decreased estrogen and sex steroid levels, and includes genital, sexual and urinary symptoms that can affect the frequency of sexual activity for women from the age of 40.

In other words, it’s a vicious circle.  The less sex women want to have, the more likely GSM symptoms worsen—so a team of researchers from the Menopause Society wanted to find out how sex breaks the cycle.

They recruited around 900 women aged from 40 to 79 and asked them about their sex lives.  ‘Regular’ sex was defined as having had sex in the prior three months and these women reported far less dryness, pain, and irritation, while orgasm and overall satisfaction stayed strong even though desire and lubrication may have waned.

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