Sexual Vitality for Women: Pre-Menopause
Younger women are often embarrassed to admit that they suffer from a lack of sexual desire. “I’m just too tired,” they lament, or they tell us “Between managing a home, job and children, I simply don’t have time for sex.” This is so sad. Sexual vitality is much more than a recreational activity for twenty-somethings. It is that special fuel that helps self esteem bloom, keeps relationships alive and goes a long way toward keeping you healthy.
Estrogen dominance is frequently one silent culprit zapping the libido, testosterone deficiency is another. Although their ovaries and adrenal glands are still pumping out lots of testosterone, pre-menopausal women can also suffer from a condition of relative testosterone deficiency. This occurs because levels of another hormone called sexual hormone binding globulin (SHBG) increase two to three times normal levels. SHBG then binds to free testosterone molecules circulating within the body and, in doing so, keeps the testosterone from fulfilling its mission of fueling sex drive at a cellular level.
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is another hormone that influences the levels of your sex hormones thereby also influencing your sex drive. DHEA is called a “precursor hormone” because it can be converted to testosterone. Levels of DHEA naturally decrease with age. By the time you are eighty years old your DHEA levels will be about five to ten percent of the amount produced during your reproductive years. Age is not the only factor influencing DHEA production. Chronic stress also depletes DHEA levels. Surveys of women have linked declining DHEA production in women with a decreasing tendency to think about or initiate sex, as well as reported decrease in feelings of sexual satisfaction.
Premenopausal women complaining of decreased sex drive are frequently misdirected and misdiagnosed. Male partners might suggest new lingerie or a night on the town. Commiserating friends will advise “It’s your age, hone, from here on out you can expect your sex life to get worse, not better.” Most doctors, if they listen at all, offer patronizing advice or a prescription for an anti-depressant or sleeping pill. The end result: more frustration and guilt but no more sex.
Suggested Products
