Symptoms

• The changes in the body of a woman that come as a result of the onset of menopause are many. While some symptoms of menopause are pleasant, such as the ceasing of the menstrual cycle, other symptoms are rather annoying. Symptoms of menopause include: loss of sex drive, memory loss, vaginal dryness, weight gain, incontinence, hot flashes, heart palpitations, and mood swings. Depression is another unpleasant symptom of menopause.
  
  

Causes

• The reasons that women lost their sex drive after menopause is because various hormones produced during menstruation are no longer being created inside the woman's body. Estrogen, the hormone that causes higher sensitivity to touch and stimulation during sexual activity, ceases to be produced as much as it was during menstruation. The hormone that keeps the sex drive high, progesterone, also experiences decreased production following menopause. In addition, the testosterone hormone that boosts sex drive and causes the woman's vagina to become wet when aroused also ceases to be produces as it was before menopause. The combination of the decreased production of these three hormones is what causes the loss of a woman's sex drive after menopause.
  
  

Treatment

• Hormone replacement therapies can be administered to combat the decrease of sex drive that results as a naturally symptom of menopause. Estrogen supplements can be taken, but doctors advise that many hormone replacement therapies should be done in conjunction with other hormone replacement therapies to prevent adverse reactions such as cancers, heart attacks, strokes, and blood clots.
  
  

Additional Remedies

• Further remedies for the loss of sex drive experienced after menopause can be done without medications. Natural supplements may help some women, while other women work on strengthening their intimate relationships to bring back the spark of a healthy sex drive. Since menopause often occurs in the retirement years of a woman's life, many couples combat the negative effects of menopause on the sex drive by venturing out on romantic get-aways.
  
  

Considerations

• It is common for women to experience a lower sex drive when they go through menopause; so it is neither a disease nor a cause for panic. Hormone replacement therapy is unnecessary for continued health, but can effectively combat a diminished sex drive. A doctor will prescribe a hormone replacement suited to an individual patient based on her medical history.