Women’s Sexual Health Series: Get Disturbed! Use It or Lose It.

I am consistently surprised that women are not given an official warning about what happens to their bodies with menopause – specifically, our vaginas… especially since there is such an easy (and pleasurable) fix!

Last night I attended a dinner for a national women’s organization in Baltimore. I have been celebrating being 50 and fabulous since February. A few women commented positively on my social media posts and topics. I brought up menopause, with an average age of 56 at my table, and the walls went up! The lack of response for women’s awareness about their own sexual health was disturbing for me. I am 50… not dead. You would have thought we were talking about politics! “Wow,” I said, (with a smile on my face), “my fabulous female entrepreneurs, can we lead successful businesses but be too ashamed to talk about our beautiful bodies, how they evolve after age 50, and the fact we outlive men?” I think I got them disturbed!

There is mounting evidence to support the long-standing innuendos about sex: if you’re not staying sexually active after 50 (whether with a partner or alone) you may begin to experience diminished sexual drive and response. Of course, there are many forms of sexual dysfunction and that in itself is still being debated with the FDA. What we do know is that studies since 2000 with post-menopausal women show the issue is not just about hot flashes or sleep deprivation. As women, we know discomfort in the vagina affects the mind, body and soul. Yes, we are complex emotional creatures and it’s time to GET DISTURBED!

The good news is that women over 50 are generally healthier, more active, and more in tune with their physical, sexual and emotional needs than ever before. Women do not want to lose sexual vitality in their 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s! Let’s face it – we are outliving men! For nearly fifteen years, the FDA has continued to disallow or approve clinically proven methods with a prescribed drug for women to address sexual health concerns. Men have twenty-six FDA approved medications. I scratch my head. Why? Women are getting disturbed and demanding action. Increased clinical studies around the United States and Canada are reporting positive results.

A current study conducted by Andrew M. London, M.D and Leonard R. Derogatis, Ph.D., co-founders of The Maryland Center for Sexual Health (MCSH) in Lutherville, Maryland, along with several studies currently being conducted across the United States and Canada, are reporting positive benefits from the use of supplementary Dehydroepiandrosterone, more commonly known as DHEA. DHEA, a metabolic intermediate in the production of androgen and estrogen, is naturally produced in the adrenal glands. For women, the DHEA level peaks at age 25. As women continue to age the adrenal glands produce less DHEA and by the age of 70, they can have up to eighty percent less natural DHEA in their bodies.EndoCeutics, has formulated a DHEA suppository which is anticipated to be the first approved by the FDA. What a game changer this will be for women as they enter the most vibrant years of mature life and no longer have to do it with dryness, pain, discomfort or lack of sex drive.

Talking with Martina Miller, MS, Clinical Research Coordinator atMCSH in Lutherville, Maryland, I am excited by the results of the current study at MCSH in partnership with EndoCeutics. Post-menopausal women, ages 40-80 experiencing various types of vaginal discomfort, have experienced positive results. The study shows that women using a suppository 2-3 times a week at bedtime are having very active sex lives and living without any vaginal discomfort. In fact, many of the women feel their sex lives have been “restored.” In fact, after the study concludes, over a 12-week period, women are reporting they do not want to stop!

The MCSH is dedicated to the application of modern diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to the treatment of a broad range of sexual dysfunctions and conditions experienced by men and women. In addition, the MCSH conducts an extensive range of therapeutic clinical drug trials, evaluating the therapeutic efficacy of new drugs for the treatment of numerous sexual problems.

Forty-three percent of post-menopausal women find sex painful. That is an astonishing statistic – are you disturbed yet? One of the most common causes is vaginal atrophy, a lack or loss of the beneficial effects from estrogen prior to menopause. Be a part of the change for women. Consider being a part of a study and let your friends know, too. MCHS is currently looking for women, between the ages of 40 and 80, with any type of vaginal discomfort and willing to participate in a 12-week clinical trial with financial compensation. To learn more and stay up to date on topics, trends and studies Click Here. 

What I know to be true and from talking with other women, we discover that with each decade, sex can get better. As long as we’re open enough for awareness, learning, changing and communicating… we do not have to lose it!

by Denise Buchman, who you can chat with on Facebook and Twitter @denisebuchman