epublishing store: Intro
Sexual Health eBook Volume2
Chapter 8Menopause and Sexuality, Martha PetersenMenopause is the cessation of menses and ovulation with the concurrent reduction
and eventual loss of certain hormones. These hormones have widespread physical
effects. This chapter will review recent research on these effects as they
pertain to sexual function and satisfaction.
Menopause is a phase in the ever-changing process of a woman’s reproductive
life. While often presented as an event or a condition, it is more a gradual
transition involving the multifaceted physiological interaction of hormones,
the brain, and modifications in end organ receptivity. Beginning in utero,
this intricate biological interplay affects body and mind throughout childhood,
prepuberty, puberty, the reproductive years, and the peri- and postmenopausal
phases. Even surgical menopause, which produces the sudden loss of hormones
and can cause sudden onset of certain symptoms, is still an ongoing and dynamic
process.
The impact of this phase of hormonal change on a woman’s sexuality is multifaceted
and involves a wide variety of physical and psychosocial changes, some of which
are culturally related.
Research on female sexuality, and, in particular, as associated with menopause,
has increased in recent years. Both menopause and sexuality, once considered
practically taboo subjects, are now openly discussed, studied, and valued as
important issues in a woman’s life. Movies, popular books, television shows,
the Internet, and magazines offer advice, information, resources, and support
for women. Some women find that once the fear of pregnancy is removed, their
sex lives improve. Menopause may coincide with a stage of life when children
are grown and on their own and a woman is more financially secure than before,
both of which can enhance a sense of independence and self-esteem (Dennerstein,
Dudley, & Guthrie, 2002a). With better understanding, menopause, once a
dreaded event associated with a decrease in quality of health and life, is
considered just another passage that has many benefits as well as challenges. Sexual Health eBook Volume2 Chapter 8 $20 http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/netcart.asp?MerchantID=104436&ProductID=3537151
Back to the list
|
