Mature Sexual Intimacy

Book excerpt: Roughly 40 percent of the female population in the United States is in those middle years when perimenopausal symptoms have already taken hold, or they are in the throes of menopause. Another 15 percent are defined medically as post-menopausal. In other words, the root word menopause sticks around as a descriptor for more than half a woman’s life and it currently is “stuck” to about 65 percent of the female population. That’s 102 million people. Menopause has long been a branding category used by everyone from physicians to People magazine. A normal human event such as maturing is talked about as a medical condition with warning signs of ill health. But it does come with some natural side effects, and those can cause problems with sexuality and intimacy surrounding it. Here, seasoned author Maryann Karinch tackles the subject head-on through real life stories, interviews with experts in the area, and common sense practices that will help readers enhance both the way their view themselves sexually and how they engage with romantic partners, both physically and emotionally.