(165) How Perimenopausal and Menopausal Women Perceive and Experience Sexual Arousal: Results of a Large, National Survey of 2,935 Perimenopausal and Menopausal U.S. Women

Abstract Introduction A nation-wide survey was conducted of a convenience sample of 7065 sexually-active, non-treatment seeking women about their perceptions of the term “sexual arousal’ and experiences of genital arousal. This analysis was performed in a subset of 2935 women to evaluate the associations with perimenopause and menopausal status. Objective The objective of this analysis was to evaluate the association of personal experiences with genital arousal and orgasm in a subset of women with perimenopause and menopausal status. Methods In this IRB-approved study, women provided informed consent, completed an initial screening questionnaire, and who met the inclusion criteria of being sexually active (partnered or non-partnered) proceeded to the full survey. A total of 7065 women entered and completed the study, following an outreach to 120 000 women from a database of 3 million. In the current study, there was a slight over-weighting of peri- and post- menopausal women, with 19.4% perimenopausal and 22.1% of postmenopausal women, reflecting the database source demographics, totaling to 2935 women. Results A series of contingency tables were constructed to examine the relationship between women’s individual perceptions of arousal and orgasm, and the menopausal status of the individual. Three key tables were constructed accordingly and are shown below. Table 1. Contingency table showing the relationship between menopause status and participants’ sensations when excited to have sex with a partner. Percentage of the Grand Total for each menopause status is shown in brackets. A chi-squared test of independence indicated a significant association between the two variables. χ2 = 81.1, df = 10, p 0.0001. Perimenopausal and menopausal women experienced the same genital sensations (engorgement, tingling, and vaginal lubrication), compared to premenopausal women, although a trend is observed towards lower frequencies of each in both peri- and post-menopausal women. Table 2. Contingency table showing the relationship between menopause status and the percentage of time the participants experience these sensations. A chi-squared test of independence indicated a significant association between the two variables. χ2 = 69.64, df = 8, p 0.0001. There was a tendency for perimenopausal and menopausal women to experience the sensations of genital arousal less frequently. Table 3. Contingency table showing the relationship between menopause status and how participants experienced a change in sensations (tingling, swelling) over the years. A chi-squared test of independence indicated a significant association between the two variables. χ2 = 187.4, df = 4, p 0.0001. While the majority of perimenopausal and menopausal women indicated that the sensations of genital arousal had decreased or stayed the same over the years, a small percentage, in fact, reported that they had increased. Conclusions Sexually active, non-treatment seeking perimenopausal and menopausal women continue to experience the sensations of genital arousal but often less frequently, and/or less intensely. However, many do not experience any negative changes in the type, frequency or intensity of genital arousal. Disclosure Yes, this is sponsored by industry/sponsor: Vella Bioscience, Inc. Clarification Industry initiated, executed and funded study. Any of the authors act as a consultant, employee or shareholder of an industry for: Vella Bioscience, Inc.