I have a good relationship with a supportive man, but my body feels ‘closed up’. Is it down to hormones – and does it happen to all women?
I am a 34-year-old woman. Throughout my 20s I enjoyed sex so much I found it difficult to resist. I was fairly promiscuous and my body became aroused without effort. Now, seemingly out of nowhere, my libido and interest in sex have almost disappeared, which has devastated me. I strongly suspect it’s due to a drop in hormone levels.
I am very healthy, not stressed, don’t drink or smoke and have a good relationship with a communicative and supportive man. But sex is now often painful, as I struggle with a loss of natural lubrication and I feel “closed up” and unaroused. I now feel I have to have sex when I simply don’t want it and my partner feels discouraged that I never initiate. Even in the event that I feel aroused psychologically by an idea or fantasy, my body won’t respond.
Pamela Stephenson Connolly is a US-based psychotherapist who specialises in treating sexual disorders.
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