Tag: menopause

Have you ever started a new birth control, and then noticed that things started feeling a little…off? Turns out, you aren’t the only one! More women are noticing vaginal dryness as a result of their birth control regimen. Don’t worry though, there are plenty of things you can do to start feeling better.

How is vaginal dryness is linked to birth control?

Although vaginal dryness is most commonly associated with menopausal women (like the two-thirds of women over 60 who list dryness as one of their top sexual health problems!), it can actually happen to women of all ages. Typical symptoms of dryness are discomfort, itching or burning, and pain during sex.

I feel so self-conscious about being ‘loose’ during intercourse. What can I do?

Kegels, Kegels and more Kegels.

Every muscle group in your body needs to be exercised in order to maintain tone and strength. This includes your vagina muscles, known as your pubococcygeal (PC) muscle group. If not exercised, your PC muscle will eventually become slack and atrophy, causing a lack of sensation around your vaginal opening.

In recent years attitudes toward aging have changed drastically—although there is no escaping the inevitable difference which age brings. While some jokingly assert that menopause really signals a pause from men, it need not spell the death of sexual desire. For women who are premenopausal (the period before the onset of actual menopause), a gradual decrease in the hormones estrogen and testosterone can, for some, begin the slow and painful trek toward diminished sexual desire.

When I think about what things were like when I was a teenager I can’t help but make this strange expression that looks like something in between a smile and a grimace. I’m sure most of you make the same face. Being a teenager was fun, it was first loves and first tastes of freedom, but it was also greasy foreheads and relentless acne. When you finally grow out of those pimples you breathe a sigh of relief thinking the pimples and blemishes are just another awkward teen memory.

In a new paper published in the journal Psychological Science titled, "The Long Reach of One’s Spouse: Spouses’ Personality Influences Occupational Success" authors Brittany Solomon and Joshua Jackson used a study of 4,500 married Australian couples and measured them with a common personality test known as the Big Five. This test looks at five personality traits, including: extraversion (how outgoing and sociable a person is), agreeableness (how honest and sympathetic someone is, versus suspicious and unfriendly), conscientiousness (how well someone can plan and be productive, rather than be disorganized and impulsive), neuroticism (how anxiety-prone someone is) and openness (how naturally curious and open to change a person is).