3 Tips for a Happy and Healthy Sex Life As You Get Older

There are many pieces to the overall wellness puzzle, and an active and pleasurable sex life is certainly one of them. Unfortunately, many women run into issues with their sex life as they journey through their reproductive years and beyond. 

The biggest issue is painful sex, which is medically known as dyspareunia, and it’s an issue that affects up to 40% of women at some point in their lives.

As women’s health specialists, Dr. Chetanna Okasi and the team at Women’s Wellness MD understand the bumpy sexual journey that many women are on, thanks to changes in their reproductive health, and we’re here to help.

To start, we outline a few ways you can improve your sex life as you journey through life.

1. Recognizing that painful sex is a medical issue

The fact that you’re reading this, is a great sign. For far too long, women have kept their sexual issues to themselves and simply suffered silently.

As women’s health care providers, we want you to know that painful sex isn’t typical and that it is something that deserves attention. A good sex life can be an oasis from the pressures of the world, and it’s an essential way to connect and find joy. You deserve access to this.

Dyspareunia is a valid medical issue that we can address once we evaluate your health to determine the problem.  

1. Explore treatments for painful sex

Far and away, the largest group of women facing sexual health issues is those passing through menopause and experiencing a drop in hormones. Each year in the United States, about 1.3 million women enter menopause, which can come with some unwelcome changes in their sexual health, such as thinning of vaginal tissues and vaginal dryness.

As well, some women experience these issues as a result of medical treatments or on the heels of pregnancy.

If hormonal issues are leading to problems with dyspareunia, we offer hormone therapies that can make a big difference. You have your choice with these therapies — we can set you up with local estrogen vaginal creams, or we can take a more systemic approach with pills or patches.

If your sexual discomfort stems from a gynecologic issue, such as endometriosis, we can work toward resolving the underlying problem so that you can enjoy sex again.

1. Open up communication with your partner

After discussing your painful sex issue with us, it’s also critical to get your partner on board. Open communication is essential when it comes to a healthy sex life, and by bringing your partner in, you can work together to find ways to make sex more pleasurable for both of you. 

For example, women who are struggling with vaginal dryness, which affects more than half of postmenopausal women, can benefit from more foreplay.

Not to mention, if your painful sex stems from a decline in vaginal health, a great way to boost that health is to get more sexually active, which can direct your body to send in more resources to support your vaginal tissues. 

What we want you to take away from this blog is that there are solutions for painful sex and that this isn’t something you should sweep under the carpet.

For expert care of your sexual health, we invite you to contact us today by calling our Columbia or Greenbelt, Maryland, office or using our online booking feature to schedule a consultation.