(Image source from: AARP)

With aging, sex usually turns out to be less satisfying for women owing to untold reasons including lack of a partner, widowhood, menopause-related symptoms, partner's poor physical health, and relationship issues, researchers said.

The number of women on a regular basis having sex declines with age and the number of women enjoying sex post-menopause is even lower, according to the study.

The study, published in "Menopause: The Journal of the North American Menopause Society", examined how intimate relationships, health, and psychological factors have an effect on sexual intimacy and satisfaction in postmenopausal women.

"Sexual health challenges are common in women as they age, and partner factors play a prominent role in women's sexual activity and satisfaction," said Stephanie Faubion, Medical Director at the North American Menopause Society.

"In addition, menopause-related problems such as vaginal dryness and pain with sex have been identified which affect sexual function, yet few women seek treatment for these issues despite the availability of effective therapies," Faubion said.

The researchers studied how and why a woman's libido and level of sexual satisfaction fall off during and after menopause.

For the study, substantial research was conducted into biological reasons such as sleep disruption, hot flashes, painful intercourse, and vaginal dryness.

But, much less is known about the effect of various psychosocial changes that are common in post-menopause. These include self-confidence, body image concerns, and perceived desirability, stress, mood changes, and relationship issues.

A data of almost 4,500 post-menopausal women involved in the United Kingdom Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening was studied and the findings showed that, prior to the start of annual screening, approximately half of the women were sexually active.

A decrease in all aspects of sexual activity was perceived over time - sexual activity was less frequent, not as pleasurable and iller at ease. The main reason for the lack of sexual activity was the non-existence of a partner, mostly because of widowhood.

Other commonly cited reasons for decreased activity included a partner's medical condition, a partner's sexual dysfunction, the woman's own physical health problems, and menopause-related symptoms.

By Sowmya Sangam