All A-Z health topics. View all pages in this section. In fact, as you age, the tissue in your vagina gets thinner and drier. The javascript used in this widget is not supported by your browser.

Plans to distribute vaccines to patients and the public are being determined. Johns Hopkins Medicine will contact patients as we learn more about distribution plans from government officials. Check for more updates on COVID vaccine information , expanded patient care options , and visitor guidelines. With no need to worry about getting your period, becoming pregnant or being walked in on by your kids, your postmenopausal sex life should be stellar, right? This change has a huge impact on your sexual function.

When was the last time you heard a joke suggesting that sex invariably goes ever downhill or totally crashes after menopause? Like yesterday? This concept was boldly reaffirmed — without reference to reliable research — at a conference on menopause held by the National Institutes of Health in ! So, if you ask your doctor about sex after menopause, she or he will likely agree that the outlook is gloomy. By far the most common sexual problem that women report in their post-reproductive years is dyspareunia — pain or discomfort during or after intercourse or insertion of fingers or sex toys into the vagina.

Clinically defined, menopause is the end of regular monthly menses in women. Many women might remain asymptomatic, but a vast majority will go through some type of symptom. And at times, the symptoms — night sweats, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, anxiety, etc. These symptoms are related to the decrease in the production of estrogen and progesterone.