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Estrogen patch brings back women's sex drive
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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Statistics show that as menopause approaches, women suffer not only from many unpleasant symptoms, but also from increasing indifference to sex.
New research by scientists has shown that this problem can be eliminated by using an estrogen patch.
Professor Hugh Taylor (Yale University) is confident that the patch is an excellent alternative to oral hormone replacement therapy, capable of not only improving a woman's well-being, but also restoring libido.
"Our research is aimed at solving an important, but very intimate problem of many families. It is no secret that the quality and desire for sex in middle-aged women often comes to naught. Many even consciously wait for this, assuming that such a decline in sexual desire is inevitable," explains Jennifer Wu, a specialist in gynecology at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.
Many gynecologists simply underestimate the power of the estrogen patch. That is why Professor Taylor began his research, which involved almost seven hundred women who entered menopause over the past 2-3 years.
The youngest participant in the experiment was 42 years old, and the oldest was 58 years old.
The participants were divided into three groups: to restore lost sexual activity, women, depending on the group, were offered estrogen-based pills, an estrogen patch, or a “dummy” pill.
The study lasted for four years. Before and after the experiment, all participants were tested, during which they indicated changes in their sexual desire and activity. Attention was also paid to the feeling of satisfaction and the presence of unpleasant sensations during or after sexual intercourse.
Based on the results of the study, the experts noted that both groups that were treated with estrogens indicated a significant increase in sexual activity and an improvement in the quality of sexual relations, which cannot be said about the third group, whose participants took "placebos."
Indeed, during the period when the level of estrogens in the body drops, its artificial increase significantly improves the quality of life of a woman. However, scientists have managed to prove that it is not only the introduction of the necessary hormones into the body that has an effect, but also the method of this introduction. Thus, during the study, women noted that after using the patch, vaginal dryness disappeared, and there was practically no pain during sexual intercourse.
"Tablet forms of drugs with estrogens had a less pronounced effect - the effect on libido was not so pronounced. However, it cannot be said that the experiment was absolutely "clean": all participants belonged exclusively to the white race, had higher education and a high social level." Therefore, a repeated, more extensive study cannot be ruled out.
Of course, the conclusions from the results of the experiment are quite controversial in the sense that estrogen treatment has at least two sides: along with the restoration of sexual life, a woman's risk of developing tumors and stroke increases. Therefore, one cannot blindly trust the research: in each specific case, one must consult a doctor.
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