The boost these feel-good hormones give us could potentially help alleviate menopausal symptoms such as insomnia and hot flushes. Dr Susanna Unsworth, GP and women’s health advisor for Intimina, makers of feminine hygiene products, said, “Having an orgasm increases dopamine and serotonin and these hormones have roles that interlink together. We sometimes prescribe drugs that increase serotonin levels to help with menopausal symptoms, particularly hot flushes. That is potentially one of the ways having an orgasm could help.”
What’s more, says Dr Matthews, there is some research that orgasms can lower blood pressure longer term. Plus, she adds, “An orgasm at night can help you sleep because you get increased vasopressin release which increases melatonin. It’s also a natural painkiller.” [Vasopressin is an antidiuretic hormone which plays a role in regulating your body’s circadian rhythm and melatonin is a hormone that helps control your sleep cycle.]
Meanwhile, Dr Shahzadi Harper, GP and menopause specialist at The Harper Clinic said, “Not only do orgasms provide a sense of well-being but they also help to strengthen pelvic floor muscles and maintain the vulva-vaginal anatomy. I often say, ‘Use it or lose it’: if we aren’t sexually active, then the vagina can contract.”
That’s the nub of it: while orgasms may be a wonder drug in themselves, there’s no doubt sex in midlife is a Catch-22 situation, not only because of falling libido but also because it can take women longer to have an orgasm.
“The more you have sex, the more you want to, the less you have sex, the less you want to,” explains Dr Matthews. “If you’ve got dryness and you’re suddenly uncomfortable having sex, that’s going to have a major impact on your ability to orgasm. Plus around the clitoris, there’s blood flow, nerve endings and eventually with age these become less responsive and less sensitive.”
A helping hand
But there are solutions. The reality is, if our bodies are no longer making oestrogen we are going to need a helping hand to replace it. “Sex and sexual response can do amazing things: regular sex can regulate an irregular cycle, for instance,” says Dr Matthews. “And it can have an impact on the brain-ovary axis, but only while oestrogen is being produced. After that, no orgasm is going to make you produce it unless you take it externally.
“The first thing I would do is try systemic Hormone Replacement Therapy, which unlike the Pill will not affect libido. If you can’t take HRT, then try a vaginal oestrogen product, which is key for vaginal orgasms. A specialist can prescribe something called “Scream Cream” - DHEA cream - which can boost clitoral response and orgasms.”
Adib agrees, explaining, “The top two thirds of the vagina have oestrogen receptors and the bottom third and vulva has predominantly testosterone receptors. A treatment like Vagifem - which contains estradiol, a form of oestrogen - often only addresses the top part of the vagina rather than the dryness at the entrance or on the vulva. While DHEA treats the whole of the vagina. This cream is made from dehydroepiandrosterone, a hormone which can convert into oestrogen and testosterone in the body.”Meanwhile those suffering from low libido could take advantage of a new service offered by Superdrug. The high street chemist is offering testosterone testing and transdermal gel to women with menopause-related low sex drive who are not benefitting from the standard HRT offering of oestrogen. (Testosterone gel can be taken as part of your HRT but it is advisable to check with your doctor first).
Our experts also advise trying out a vibrator. Dr Harper says, “You don’t need to have a partner to orgasm. Sex toys can be good and can be used proactively as a medical device in the sense of helping to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles.”
You may be surprised at the results. Paul Telford, founder of Emotional Bliss intimate massagers, has spent 20 years researching the female orgasm. He says, “What we’ve found is that menopausal women need more stimulation, and more gradual stimulation.”
This year, Telford conducted a small-scale non-scientific study of 30 women, who used his massager three times a week for the first two weeks and then a minimum of once a week and recorded their mood and any physical changes. He says, “One woman was struggling with hot sweats, joint pain and low libido. Within three to four weeks of doing the study she’d joined a gym and her relationship was back on track. That’s just one example.”
The evidence is a reminder that having an orgasm is not simply about pleasure, but could be part of a prescription for a less-stressed life.
