Longitudinal study of menopause and sexuality.

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Health
• Human Sexuality
• Menopause Research

Background:

• Longitudinal studies on menopause and sexuality face challenges, leading to limited research.
• Subject recruitment requires careful handling of sensitive topics like sexuality, ensuring confidentiality.
• Early perimenopausal women with regular cycles but altered flow/length are ideal participants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline methodological considerations for conducting longitudinal research on menopause and sexuality.
• To identify key demographic variables and exclusion criteria for subject selection.
• To detail data collection methods and suggest future research directions.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing daily calendars for prospective recording of menstruation and sexual behavior.
• Employing repeated questionnaires to assess menopausal symptoms, sexual interest, attractiveness, and response.
• Recommending measurement of sex hormone levels at regular intervals.

Main Results:

• Technological advancements improve prospective data collection accuracy.
• Establishing a strong investigator-participant relationship is crucial for cooperation and minimizing attrition.
• Exclusion criteria include reproductive surgery or medications affecting sexuality.

Conclusions:

• Future studies should incorporate data from sex partners.
• Further exploration of hormone therapy's impact on sexual attractiveness, interest, and response is needed.
• Methodological rigor is essential for advancing understanding of menopause and sexuality.