Many women find that going through menopause does not impact their sex life. Some may even find it exciting being that they no longer have to be concerned about having a period. But unfortunately for many the physiological effects of menopause do impact their enjoyment of sex.

During this time your hormones are giving you quite a ride, not only are you experiencing hot flashes that occur at any given time causing you discomfort and making you irritable, but there are also the night sweats. The last thing you want is someone bothering you wanting to have sex.

While the male sex drive is easy to define — and relatively easy to restore — that’s often not the case for women. The man gets a prescription for Viagra and he’s ready to rock and roll. If you are not ready to jump in and dance along, there could be real problems.

It is important to understand that these effects can be treated, but it takes some attention to health, hormones and mental attitude to continue to evolve sexually through menopause and beyond.

Sex therapists report the reality of the use-it-or-lose-it factor: regular sex, either with a partner, through masturbation, or a combination of the two definitely helps keep vaginal tissues more supple and moist, which is a problem due to low estrogen levels that cause vaginal dryness.