When Mary and I had our first meeting about her perimenopausal symptoms, she told me mat she sometimes felt like “cringing” when her fiance was amorous because penetration was painful. Vaginal dryness can make intercourse so uncomfortable that some women may avoid it, even unwittingly. But as I frequently observe in perimenopausal women, Mary’s mild aversion toward sex was only partially caused by vaginal dryness. Stressed by a demanding job that left her little time to pay attention to her own needs, she initially came to see me for help with extreme irritability and tension. In our initial discussion about her moods, she readily acknowledged that these feelings also put a real damper on her sex life. She and her fiance get into fights that degenerate into a debate on whether I’m being unreasonably volatile or whether he’s deliberately trying to drive me crazy. Then we’re both so angry and tense that neither of us has any affection to show the other.”

A few months later, Mary’s story was different. She had been using natural progesterone to help with her anxiety, and estriol for her vaginal dryness and drop in sex drive. At the same time, she instituted two very new practices, walking at least twice a week while squeezing her handheld “stress balls” instead of a cell phone, and passing on rich restaurant meals in favor of vegetables, fruits, and grains, to help restore hormonal balance. It wasn’t long before she saw a difference in her outlook.

“I perceived the change at a very visceral level right away, within days, as if a knot in my stomach dissolved,” Mary said. “More gradually I noticed that I could be more relaxed sexually, too, probably because I didn’t have the vaginal dryness and burning, but also because I didn’t feel so frantic about my work and my life.” Her testosterone levels were also low, but in her case regulating her estrogen and progesterone levels and incorporating some important lifestyle changes had made a distinct difference in the way she felt physically and emotionally.

Related posts:

1. The Basics of Perimenopause – Progesterone and Mood

2. The Basics of More PMS During Perimenopause

3. The Basics of the Relationship Between Progesterone and Perimenopause

4. The Basics of Mood Swings During Perimenopause – Anxiety

5. The Basics of Perimenopause – New Hormone Test Options

6. The Basics of Perimenopause – How to Exercise and Move Toward Good Health

7. The Basics of Perimenopause – HRT and Genitourinary Changes

8. The Basics of Testosterone for Women for Treatment During Perimenopause

9. The Basics of Hormone Testing During Perimenopause – Old and New

10. The Basics of Mood Swings During Perimenopause – Depression