Women's sexual health quiz: How does menopause affect sex?

By Mayo Clinic staff

Women's sexual health concerns change with age. Menopause and the months or years leading up to it (perimenopause) can bring a time of new sexual exploration. But it also means changes to your body that can bring new challenges to your sex life. All women experience menopause differently and react differently to its effects.

If you're a woman facing menopause, test your knowledge of women's sexual health with this quiz. Learn about the normal changes menopause brings to women's sexual health. Find out what women's sexual health experiences signal something to discuss with a doctor.

1. Aging is the most common cause of decreased sexual desire in women.

2. Women experiencing perimenopause — the time before menopause when periods become erratic — can still become pregnant.

3. Some women experience an increased sex drive during menopause.

4. Being less interested in sex than usual probably means you have a medical problem.

5. Menopause causes changes to your body that can make sex uncomfortable or painful.

6. Having sex regularly can reduce the chances that sex will become painful as you age.

7. It may take longer to have an orgasm as you age.

8. If you find you're experiencing a reduced sex drive, cut back on exercise so that you can save your energy for sex.

9. Changing lifestyle habits, such as stopping smoking, choosing a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy weight, can help your sex life.

10. Most women aren't bothered by the changes in sexual desire that they experience as they begin menopause. You should learn to live with it, too.

QZ00052

Dec. 1, 2007

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