Will this marriage survive perimenopause with my wife and or sex life

How your wife's perimenopause can affect her marriage

Doctor Oz had a show on perimenopause and the effect that it had on a woman's body and brain. In the show he gave and example of what the hormones are doing inside a woman's brain and how they are exploding at different rates and patterns.

For those of us who are not as familiar with the term perimenopause, it is what happens to a woman in her thirties and forties before she reaches menopause. For some women it can be very unsettling not knowing what is going on with their bodies, moods, menstrual cycle and libido. Some women experience slight perimenopause and others have extreme perimenopause symptoms. This can also explain the erratic mood swings and heighten arousal along with no sex drive at all.

Symptoms of perimenopause

The mayo clinic gave a list of symptoms of perimenopause

Menstrual irregularity. As ovulation becomes more erratic, the intervals between periods may be longer or shorter, the flow may be less or more, and you may skip some periods. There may also be periods between cycles.

Hot flashes. About 65 to 75 percent of women experience hot flashes, most commonly during late perimenopause.

Sleep problems. Sleep problems as Dr.Oz stated in his program in perimenopause, may be trouble falling asleep, whereas in menopause it would be problems waking up during the night from hot flashes.

Mood changes.Some women experience mood swings, irritability or increased risk of depression during perimenopause, but the cause of these symptoms may be sleep disruption caused by not getting enough sleep. Mood changes may also be caused by factors not related to the hormonal changes of perimenopause. One other note is that a woman's mood may become more intense before menstruation.

Vaginal and bladder problems.When estrogen levels diminish, your vaginal tissues may lose lubrication and elasticity, making intercourse painful. Low estrogen levels may also leave you more vulnerable to urinary or vaginal infections. Loss of tissue tone may contribute to urinary incontinence.

Decreasing fertility. As ovulation becomes irregular, the ability to conceive decreases. However, as long as periods are present, pregnancy remains a possibility.

Changes in sexual function. During perimenopause, arousal and desire may change. But for most women who had satisfactory intimacy before menopause, this will continue through perimenopause and beyond.

Loss of bone. With declining estrogen levels, you start to lose bone more quickly than you replace it, increasing your risk of osteoporosis.

Changing cholesterol levels.Declining estrogen levels may lead to unfavorable changes in your blood cholesterol levels, including an increase in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol - the "bad" cholesterol - which contributes to an increased risk of heart disease. At the same time, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol - the "good" cholesterol - decreases in many women as they age, which also increases the risk of heart disease.

With the list of symptoms of Premenopausal we can see how it may affect a woman and her sex drive in the marriage. A woman going through perimenopause may feel like at times her mind has become scrambled eggs. She knows that she is not in menopause because she is still menstruating but may have some of the symptoms of menopause.

The one topic that many doctors do not expand on is that the hormones become erratic causing a woman in her forties to have increased and decreased levels of female estrogen, progesterone and testosterone increasing her libido at times and decreasing her libido at times. This gives a new meaning to the old saying of "Mrs. Robinson" or "cougars", especially when a woman has moments in her menstrual cycle where her hormones make her feel like a teenage boy and at other times like a nun.

The one good aspect about a woman in her forties is that she does have the wisdom of how her body works and in the times of increased libido she can use it to her advantage with her spouse, bringing love making to a whole new height of passion.

Not all women go thorough extreme perimenopause, but for those women that do, it is a very real hormonal fluctuation and knowing that they are not going crazy at times is a big relief. For husbands who wives may be experiencing some strange behavior in their forties, this is most likely the reason why.

For a man and women to understand that perimenopause is very real and that it may have an adverse affect on the marriage at times it can also have a positive advantage on the marriage at times. The good part is that perimenopause is not permanent and eventually it will go away and lead into menopause which for some may be a bumpier ride or a breeze. While a woman is in her forties and if experiencing the "teenage hormones" why not take advantage of it and have a little fun in the bedroom.