Sexual Health and Exercise in Females
Location
Access Type
Campus Access Only
Entry Number
16
Start Date
4-7-2021 3:30 PM
End Date
4-7-2021 3:45 PM
Abstract
Women live one-third of their life post-menopause. During the menopausal transition, women often experience negative changes to their health, including sexual dysfunction. Unlike males, there are no pharmaceutical options for postmenopausal women struggling with sexual dysfunction. As such, behavioral therapies, such as exercise, have been studied as a means to improve sexual function. The purpose of this narrative literature review was to summarize the current literature on exercise and sexual function in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. This review included twenty articles. The outcome measures included sexual desire, frequency of sexual activity, pain/dyspareunia, vaginal lubrication/dryness, orgasm, sexual satisfaction, and urogenital or sexual symptoms of menopause. Exercise or physical activity was consistently linked with better urogenital symptoms and vaginal lubrication. The association between exercise or physical activity and orgasm, sexual desire, and satisfaction with sexual activity varied from positively associated to no association. One study reported exercise was positively associated with pain/dyspareunia, but no other studies reported exercise was associated with more inferior sexual function. Yoga was the most common form of exercise used in experimental studies and consistently improved sexual function. Based on the current literature, perimenopausal and postmenopausal women experiencing sexual dysfunction should adopt an exercise program, particularly for women struggling with urogenital symptoms or vaginal lubrication. There is not enough evidence yet to make specific exercise prescription recommendations about the frequency, intensity, time, or type of exercise, except for yoga, which was the most commonly studied form of exercise and improved sexual function.
Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Brooke Bouza
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Sexual Health and Exercise in Females
Women live one-third of their life post-menopause. During the menopausal transition, women often experience negative changes to their health, including sexual dysfunction. Unlike males, there are no pharmaceutical options for postmenopausal women struggling with sexual dysfunction. As such, behavioral therapies, such as exercise, have been studied as a means to improve sexual function. The purpose of this narrative literature review was to summarize the current literature on exercise and sexual function in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. This review included twenty articles. The outcome measures included sexual desire, frequency of sexual activity, pain/dyspareunia, vaginal lubrication/dryness, orgasm, sexual satisfaction, and urogenital or sexual symptoms of menopause. Exercise or physical activity was consistently linked with better urogenital symptoms and vaginal lubrication. The association between exercise or physical activity and orgasm, sexual desire, and satisfaction with sexual activity varied from positively associated to no association. One study reported exercise was positively associated with pain/dyspareunia, but no other studies reported exercise was associated with more inferior sexual function. Yoga was the most common form of exercise used in experimental studies and consistently improved sexual function. Based on the current literature, perimenopausal and postmenopausal women experiencing sexual dysfunction should adopt an exercise program, particularly for women struggling with urogenital symptoms or vaginal lubrication. There is not enough evidence yet to make specific exercise prescription recommendations about the frequency, intensity, time, or type of exercise, except for yoga, which was the most commonly studied form of exercise and improved sexual function.