Menopause and intimacy: breaking the silence on GSM

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Menopause and intimacy: breaking the silence on GSM

The CLOSER study highlights something many of us working in sexual health see every day: too many women experiencing genitourinary syndrome of menopause, or GSM, are not talking to their partner or partners about it.

This is not surprising. Shame and embarrassment can make these conversations feel incredibly difficult. But communication really matters.

Making room for change

Talking openly about what is changing allows people to adapt together. It creates space to explore different ways of experiencing intimacy, rather than quietly avoiding sex because it has become uncomfortable or painful. When pleasure disappears, desire often follows — our brains are very good at avoiding experiences that hurt.

GSM is treatable

GSM does not have to mean the end of a fulfilling sex life. Understanding what is happening, seeking treatment with moisturisers, lubricants and — for almost everyone — vaginal and vulval oestrogen, can reduce shame, strengthen connection and help protect pleasure.

People who have experienced hormone-sensitive cancers can often access local low-dose hormones too. Evidence and medical guidance have shifted, and multiple guidelines now support this approach where simpler measures are not enough. The 2023 BSSM Consensus Statement on Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause can be a helpful resource to discuss with your clinical team.

Menopause changes our bodies — but it should not silence us.