As you age, your body undergoes changes that can significantly affect your sex life and overall sexual health. One of the challenges women face is having no sex drive during the menopause years. If this applies to you, it’s worth looking at the benefits of BHRT for sexual health.
Let’s start with a quick review of how hormone imbalance can affect your sexual health.
Hormonal Imbalances Affecting Women’s Sexual Health
Hormonal imbalances can cause you to have too much or too little of these hormones:
- Estrogen – responsible for the development and maintenance of female reproductive tissues.
- Progesterone – which regulates the menstrual cycle and is important for pregnancy.
- Testosterone – the so-called male hormone, but important for reproductive tissue development and maintenance of your bone density, muscle mass, and red blood cell production and improved quality and length of sleep.
The result of any deficiency can be that you simply don’t feel like sex!
And if your hormone imbalance remains untreated, you can experience a range of sexual health issues:
- Vaginal dryness and thinning of vaginal tissue leading to painful intercourse (dyspareunia)
- Lack of sexual satisfaction, as hormone imbalances affect the sensitivity and function of sexual organs
- Mood swings that can lead to depression and anxiety, both of which indirectly impact your desire and sexual satisfaction
- Low libido
- Fatigue and lack of vitality – and a reduced sense of sexual wellbeing
- Hot flashes that interrupt intimacy and desire
- Lack of sleep
If this is your experience, please don’t feel embarrassed about coming in and talking with us about your options.
Exploring Treatment Options
Navigating the abundance of sexual health resources out there can be overwhelming, especially when you’re already dealing with menopause symptoms and constantly feeling tired!
According to Mary Halpin – who has an extensive BHRT background – it’s always best to consult with your healthcare professional so they can identify your exact hormonal imbalances and create a treatment plan that addresses them effectively.
Alongside using BHRT pellet therapy for your sexual health, there are a few other factors that can work together to improve your sexual health, including
- lifestyle changes,
- dietary supplements,
- exercise (yes, the dreaded exercise rears its head again, but it does help!),
- mind-body therapies such as yoga or meditation,
- prioritizing communication with your partner,
- alternative treatments (such as acupuncture),
- reviewing your current medications, and
- better sleep.
We’ll mention these again later. But first…
Let’s look at the benefits of BHRT, because balanced hormones play such a huge part in your sexual health.
Benefits of Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) for Women’s Sexual Health
The benefits of BHRT for sexual health stem from the fact that it balances hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.
We’ve seen how decreased hormone levels can negatively impact your sex life. But if you add bioidentical ones to your body’s own depleted hormones, you can improve sexual health.
1 Improved Vaginal Lubrication and Elasticity
When estrogen levels decrease, vaginal tissues become less elastic, thinner, and drier, leading to vaginal dryness and discomfort during sex.
BHRT can help balance estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone levels to improve your vaginal lubrication and elasticity. This will alleviate your discomfort and pain during sex, making the experience more comfortable and enjoyable. Your partner will thank you and life will look up again!
2 Increased Sex Drive and Desire
Fluctuations in hormones can decrease your libido, as we said – specifically due to reduced testosterone levels. By balancing testosterone levels, BHRT can help increase your sex drive and desire, and improving your overall sexual satisfaction and quality of life. Sexual health doesn’t have to go downhill during perimenopause and after!
3 Reduced Discomfort from Menopause Symptoms
The main cause of uncomfortable menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes and mood swings, is your decreased levels of estrogen and progesterone production. By restoring them, BHRT helps alleviate these symptoms and improve your general quality of life. You’ll be calmer and more able to focus on what you really want.
4 Enhanced Sexual Satisfaction
If, as we indicated might happen, your hormone imbalance is decreasing your sexual satisfaction, BHRT helps restore your hormonal equilibrium, potentially improving sexual response and pleasure with the use of bioidentical testosterone and estradiol.
5 Better Mood and Energy Levels
A decrease in all hormone levels often leads to low mood and fatigue, as we said. But as soon as BHRT replenishes your levels, you’ll see an improvement in both your mood and energy levels. You need energy to have a fulfilling sexual life amid today’s exhausting and over-busy schedules! And stabilizing your mood helps with energy levels.
6 Better Sleep
Researchers have found that as testosterone levels drop, the amount of cortisol circulating in your body increases. Since cortisol is the body’s primary stress hormone, one of its functions is to increase alertness, which can result in shorter sleep cycles and shallower sleep. Replenishing your testosterone levels clearly limits cortisol circulation and gives you much improved sleep. Your sexual energy will appreciate that!
However, these benefits of BHRT for your sexual health can be supplemented in a number of other natural ways, as we said.
Holistic Treatment in Addition to BHRT for Sexual Health
A healthy lifestyle with regular exercise and a balanced diet
Maintain a healthy lifestyle, including regular exercise and a balanced diet (rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains). Regular exercise can help regulate hormones, improve blood flow, and increase energy levels, which can positively impact sexual activity.
Dietary supplements
There are a variety of supplements that may be beneficial for sexual health:
- Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish oil and have been shown to help regulate hormones and boost libido.
- Vitamin D can be obtained through sun exposure or supplements, and has also been linked to improved sexual function.
- Magnesium has been shown to have a positive effect on testosterone levels
Mind-body therapies
Yoga and meditation can help reduce stress and promote relaxation, which can help regulate your hormones and improve your feelings about your sexual life.
Alternative therapies
Therapies such as acupuncture also help regulate hormones, improve blood flow, and reduce stress.
Reviewing your current medications
Some medications, such as certain antidepressants, can negatively impact your sexual functioning. Reviewing your current medications with a healthcare professional can help identify potential issues.
Prioritizing communication and intimacy
Talking openly and honestly about sexual desires and preferences can help improve sexual satisfaction and quality of life.
Let’s Discuss BHRT for Sexual Health
There are so many excellent benefits of BHRT for sexual health that we often recommend it.
But even though we recommend BHRT for sexual health – and hormone imbalances in particular – our team at Evexias Denver doesn’t immediately push it on you!
Instead, we always look for the root cause of your issues and recommend a holistic treatment plan to get you the best and safest results.
So – we’ll take the time to review your medical history, current health status, and what you’re hoping to achieve, so we can create a personalized plan just for you. Why not schedule an appointment today? Let’s talk.