Your Sexual Health After Menopause, Ask Anything

What questions should I ask my doctor about sexual health after menopause?

Anything and everything. Specifically, women should be asking if the symptoms they are experiencing are normal. As was evident in the REVEAL (REvealing Vaginal Effects At mid-Life) Surveys, women have simply learned to live with the vaginal symptoms of menopause, such as dryness, as a normal part of getting older. For example, less than half of the Boomer women in the REVEAL Surveys who experienced pain during sexual intercourse have initiated a conversation with their health care professional. Just because something is tied to aging doesn’t mean you have to live with it. Women should feel entitled to ask what treatment options there are for vulvovaginal dryness and atrophy. They should ask what the risks and benefits are to using local estrogen therapy and ask for help or advice if they are having any sexual concerns. --Dr. Sheryl Kingsberg

Dr. Sheryl Kingsberg is chief of behavioral medicine, MacDonald Women’s Hospital, University Hospitals Case Medical Center and associate professor in the departments of reproductive biology and psychiatry, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

For more information, visit www.Revealsurvey.com.

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