How Menopause Affects Relationships

Menopause is a time of great change in your life. Hormonal changes can lead to physical and mental symptoms that can leave you feeling unhappy and uncomfortable. Naturally, these changes can have real impacts on your relationship. 

Read on to learn all about menopause and relationships, including common impacts of menopause on relationships, why communication matters, and how to support your partner. 

Physical and Emotional Changes That Impact Relationships

Once you’ve reached menopause, your progesterone and estrogen levels are at very low levels. This triggers a number of changes in both your mind and your body, many of which can have an impact on your relationship. Changes that may come during menopause for relationships include:¹

• Mood changes: Many women find that menopause leaves them feeling unexpectedly irritable, anxious, or depressed. You may also find that you have intense and unpredictable mood swings during menopause. 
• Lower self-esteem: Some changes may leave you with low self-esteem or a negative body image. 
• Lower libido: Along with your hormonal changes may come lower libido and disinterest in sex. 
• Vaginal dryness: Vaginal dryness can make both sex and everyday life painful. Some women may become avoidant of intimacy during this time. 

While all of these changes are totally normal, they can impact your relationship if you’re not prepared. 

Communication Strategies

One way to limit the impact of menopause on your relationships is to practice strong communication. Why does communication matter? It helps you maintain emotional intimacy and understand your partner’s needs, and vice versa. Read on to learn how to support your partner through strong communication. 

Supporting Each Other Through Change

Change is scary for anyone, and it’s important that you and your partner make one another feel supported during these changes. Just as you may feel worried about or scared of the changes that are happening to your body, your partner may feel apprehension, too. By being there for one another and coping together, you can help break the stigma of menopause and relationships. 

Navigating Intimacy and Sex

Physical changes during menopause can make sex painful, and mental changes can lower your libido, making sex feel less desirable.1 This is one of the more challenging impacts of menopause on relationships. Fortunately, there are plenty of things that can help improve intimacy and sex during menopause. 

Personal lubricants are a great way to combat vaginal dryness and make sex feel better. You may also want to ask a doctor about estrogen therapy, a medical treatment that helps with changes to your vagina. Finally, rethink how you define intimacy. Sex isn’t the only way to be intimate; cuddling, sharing emotions, and spending intentional time together can all fulfill your biological need for intimacy. 

Learn our 4 tips for great intimacy after menopause. 

Seeking Professional Support

Finally, don’t be afraid to seek professional support when you need it. A couple’s therapist can be a huge help when it comes to menopause and relationships. Not only can they help you better understand how to support your partner through this period, but they can also give you strategies to help you practice empathy in relationships. 

Reconnecting as a Couple

If menopause has already started to negatively impact your relationship, it’s not too late. There’s still time to reconnect as a couple and regain intimacy and empathy in your relationship. Practicing open and honest communication is a great way to rekindle your spark. Remember, it probably won’t feel comfortable the first time you try it, but the more you practice, the easier it will get. 

Conclusion

Menopause is a major life transition, and it can bring new challenges to relationships along with physical and emotional changes. Open communication, patience, and mutual understanding go a long way in easing tension and strengthening bonds during this time. 

By acknowledging the impact of menopause, couples, families, and friends can learn how to break the stigma around menopause and approach the journey with compassion rather than frustration. With the right support and willingness to adapt, relationships can not only withstand the changes of menopause but also grow deeper and more resilient.

References

1. Cleveland Clinic. Menopause.
   https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21841-menopause