How Menopause Affects Sex Drive and 5 Ways to Get It Back
In this video, endocrinologist Sonal Chaudhry, MD, talks about how lower hormone levels that come with menopause often affect sex drive — and what women can do about it.
If you’re going through menopause — the time in a woman's life when the ovaries stop producing eggs (ovulating) and menstrual periods end — you’re likely going through a whole host of body changes. Frustrating body changes. If hot flashes and sleep issues weren’t enough, you may also be experiencing a plummet in your sex drive.
As the ovaries age, there are lower levels of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, says Sonal Chaudhry, MD, an endocrinologist at NYU Langone Health. Low sex drive can be frustrating, but it’s not something you have to take lying down. “There are measures that women can take to alleviate some of these symptoms,” says Dr. Chaudhry.
- Sonal Chaudhry, MDDr. Chaudhry is an Endocrinologist at NYU Langone Health in New York City.
References
Agronin, M. (2023) Sexual dysfunction in older adults. UpToDate.
Bachmann, G., et al. (2022). Patient education: vaginal dryness (beyond the basics). UpToDate.
Office on Women’s Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2023). Menopause and sexuality.