Boosting Libido During Menopause

Research shows that around 70% of us will experience a loss of libido during our menopause transition. Yet as a symptom, it remains the ‘taboo within the taboo’ for many of us; an uncomfortable topic - but also something we assume is ‘just a sign of aging’ rather than linked explicitly to our hormones.

Libido is both a psychological and physical experience:  it involves a complex interplay between hormones, brain chemistry, emotions, and overall health. But we do know that the fluctuation and decline of our sex hormones can contribute to the significant proportion of us who lose desire in midlife:

• Lower levels of oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone can lead to a lower libido. In addition, reduced oestrogen levels can lead to vaginal dryness and decreased blood flow to the genital area, making arousal and orgasm more difficult for some of us. And, because our hormones impact each other, increased cortisol, which many of us experience in midlife, dampens our ability to produce oestrogen and testosterone, lowering levels further and hurting desire further too.
  
  
• Dopamine and serotonin in the brain are critical to our ability to feel  pleasure. Low dopamine levels in menopause can reduce desire.
  
  
• Energy levels leave us feeling emotionally depleted too: The loss of sleep, low energy levels and the associated impact on mood all play a part in our ability to experience desire.

But perhaps as critical is our self image and sense of self in midlife. This phase can leave many of us feeling disconnected from our bodies; angry at changes we see in the mirror, exploring a sense of loss and a sense of trepidation at what the future may hold. Our relationships with those we love may shift as we explore what we want for ourselves moving forward. Gabriella Espinosa, intimacy therapist and host of the brilliance podcast Pleasure in the Pause, talks of the critical role pleasure, intimacy and sex have on our healthspan; whether alone or with a partner. Research shows that those of us with a higher frequency of both arousal and orgasm show reduced rates of breast cancer, weight issues, vaginal atrophy, UTIs, incontinence issues, cardiovascular disease and more.

As a therapist who has also interviewed 100 of experts in the field, Gabriella has developed a practice that focuses on mindfulness and being in the present as a route back to ourselves and a rebuilding of libido. Her work encourages us to pay greater attention to the sensations that are often unconscious; from the feel of your own breath on our lips, to gentle self touch or holding ourselves firmly to the taste of food, the feel of the sun on our faces.

Curious to learn more? You can explore more of her work HERE.

Then, Mother Nature also has much to offer our bodies too. There are a number of botanicals, used for generations in traditional medicine that Western research is validating. If you’re looking to support yourself in reigniting your personal spark, these are the most robust - and the ones we blend, with love, into many of our formulations too:

• Ashwagandha: The Ashwagandha - we use in our Meno-Boost and Mood Food blends is the gold standard - organic, cleanly extracted and the best researched in the field. And independent clinical trials have shown its benefit in improving libido, specifically for females struggling with low levels of desire. If you’d like to explore its impact on you, take a look at how we blend it, synergistically in Meno-Boost and Mood-Food.
  
  
• Maca: Maca, found in Meno-Boost too, has interesting research pointing to its ability to increase sexual desire and function in men and women. Interestingly, a key piece of research was undertaken on females post menopause.
  
  
• Cacao: Research shows that Cacao can increase libido as a result of its ability to influence dopamine and serotonin, which are a precursor to arousal. We blend organic cacao in our best-selling Peri-Boost - proudly un-dutched (and increasingly hard to source!) - our careful sourcing ensures that you extract all the goodness of the natural plant without the heat treatment used  in the majority of sources available today.