Dr. Avnish Jolly, 8th November, 2008 : Study conducted by a women’s research group showed that Ghanaian women especially those above post-menopausal ages have little to no interest for sex. This study showed an alarming trend – that Ghanaian women after having an average of two to four children or after 40 years, become less and less interested in sex.
The study suggested completely switches off their libidos, and shows little to no interest in sexual pleasures by women The study also showed alarming trend somehow positively related to women’s life-spans. The study suggested that just as Ghanaian women’s sexual interests diminished, so did their life-span. The study stayed away from finding root causes, or prescribing any solutions for this trend in the females – it leaves that to behavioural specialists. Postmenopausal Women who have lost interest in sex may be able to bring their libidos back to life with a testosterone patch/ injections or tablets; however, the use of the male hormone to boost sex drive in women may not be risk-free.
According to study out of the 814 women in the study, 4 women who were taking testosterone developed breast cancer, but none of the women on placebo did. It’s not clear whether this was a statistical bug or a warning sign that excess testosterone could cause or stimulate the growth of a malignancy in human life. Few of the women also reported excess hair growth, although none stopped using the hormone for this reason.
The study used for measuring sexual interests include sexy appearance, verbal and body language, fashion sense, group and social affiliations, self-estime, selflessness or selfishness, living occupations, fantasies, greed, family values, religiosity, moral values, education, exposure to sexual aids like toys and porno, foods and eating habits, topics of interest, gossip topics and ethical values. A pilot study found that most of these women were unwilling to divulge their real sexual practices; hence the use of proxy measures.
This research is published this week in The New England Journal of Medicine.