Effects of Aging on Sex for Women

A woman's sexuality can change as she ages. Everyone goes through different stages of libido and levels of sexual desire that increase and decrease through the years. Other factors include overall general health and environmental stresses at work and at home. Read Definition of Heightened Sexual Desire to find out more.

Hormonal Changes
Fluctuations in hormones, whether from natural body production or from hormone replacement therapy, is one of the major effects of aging on sex for women. As they get older, a lot of woman's libidos actually rise towards, during and after menopause and then can decrease as their bodies quit producing natural estrogen. There are a lot of different therapies (natural and prescribed) that are marketed to help level this out.

Physical Changes
As a woman ages, physical changes such as in health status and overall condition can affect her sexual desire. Loss of stamina, flexibility or new health concerns can lower her want or ability to engage in intimate activities. Sometimes there are conditions that makes it risky for intercourse, while others may just simply make it too uncomfortable or painful to do so. (Read Sexual Side Effects of Chemotherapy to find out some information about those suffering from cancer.)

Emotional Changes
Getting older can take an emotional toll on a woman. A woman might dislike having wrinkles and other signs of aging and feel less attractive, lowering her libido. While there are those that embrace these changes as becoming more mature and experienced, others feel that their sexual appeal is lessened by these alterations of their physical appearance. Losing close friends and family may be a natural fact of life when you are older but it can have consequences on a person's intimate relationships. Read How to Touch a Woman That is Grieving to help your lover regain her desire in her time of grief.

Lifestyle Changes
Slowing down in later years can affect a woman's desire level in one of two ways. Either she will revel in the fact that she has as much time to fulfill her fantasies as she wants; or she'll start to feel start to feel that she is too old for such things and that life has passed her by. Even if she feels a quickening in her desire levels, her mindset may be one of that she needs to settle down and act accordingly with her age.

If a woman wants to increase or decrease her libido in the later years of her life, there are everything from prescriptions to natural supplements, therapy and at home tricks that can help her do so. Just because there are confirmed effects of aging on sex for women does not mean that the choice to either raise or lower their levels of sexual desire has ended with old age. Read How Do Women Increase Sexual Desire? for some great at home treatments.