Aging presents all kinds of strange and often annoying changes in a woman’s body. One of these changes is a marked decrease in sex drive. A drop in the body’s hormone levels causes changes in the genital tissues, and a lack of estrogen can lead to vaginal dryness. These can cause sex to be uncomfortable, and therefore less appealing.
Luckily, there’s hope if your sexual disinterest is attributed to menopausal changes. You can restore your body’s estrogen with supplements, either taken orally or in the form of a cream, which will help your body to properly lubricate and bring back tissue elasticity to the genitalia. If you’re not keen on hormone therapy, a simple over-the-counter lubricant could work wonders. And think of it this way: you’re liberated from the worry of an unplanned pregnancy! You can officially throw caution to the wind! (Where contraceptives are concerned, that is … but if you’re with a new partner, don’t forget that you’re still at risk for STDs.)
Sexual Abuse
If you’ve been the victim of rape, childhood sexual abuse or other sexual trauma, you may have deep-seated fears of sexual contact – even with someone that you love. In order to avoid reliving certain feelings or situations, you might be subconsciously repressing your natural sex drive. Many survivors of abuse have gone on to have normal, healthy sex lives, and you can too. If you’ve never sought counseling, you should; consider it a very wise investment in your wellbeing. Healing will take time, patience, and a long and probably painful look at the cause of the problem, but it will be well worth it in the long run.