Stories from Women about Hormone Replacement Therapy

After my second child, I never got my libido back

Sex with my husband was great until after the birth of my second child. After my second child, I never got my libido back and didn't feel normal. Sex was the last thing on my mind. I mentioned this to my gynecologist and she assured me that it was normal, but it didn't feel normal.

Another year passed and I got to the point where I didn't want my husband to touch me. Intimacy was physically and emotionally uncomfortable. When I went to the gynecologist this time, she gave me the number for The Medical Center for Female Sexuality. I wasn't ready to contact them, still thinking that it was just stress-related and would probably pass.

Another year passed and now I just felt sexually numb below the waist. I would fight with my husband about my lack of interest. When we would have sex, it started hurting, making sex even less desirable. I had absolutely no sexual pleasure.

This was the point when I felt things were unbearable and I went to the Center. From the first meeting, Bat Sheva made me feel very comfortable. I hadn't opened up to anyone but my gynecologist and I found Bat Sheva and Melissa very easy to talk to.

I had a physical exam and my blood test found that I had an extremely low level of the combination of hormones that create sexual desire and pleasure. Now it all made sense; it wasn't just in my head. Melissa and Bat Sheva discussed different options with me and decided to start me with hormones and medication. In addition, they gave me a vibrator to help with stimulation. While the vibrator might seem strange, my husband and I were open to it and it definitely helped.

I started to feel much better and even discussed coming off the medication. Unfortunately, during this time, I wasn't as diligent about using the hormones as I should have been. I started using the cream every other day or even every third day. Over the next few months, I noticed my sexual pleasure was the same, but the desire for it had decreased somewhat. Melissa ran another blood test and my hormones were low again. I started using them religiously again and my mood stabilized.

Today, things are much better with my husband and me. I am still using the hormones. My husband and I still use the vibrator and have noticed it helps tremendously. My husband has said quite often, “I feel like I have my wife back,” and I feel like myself again.

-- C --
38 Years Old

Hormones help sexual dysfunction in women:

• "It was rare for my husband and me to have sex. It bothered him and certainly bothered me"
• "I found the Center's Web site and came here for low libido problems. I had let things go for a long time"
• "I had suffered from depression and was taking antidepressants for many years. As a result, I had no desire for sex or my husband"
• "My lack of desire began when my son was born 13 years ago."

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