By Lorraine English, Clinical Nutritionist, LEPT Nutrition — Wellness Zone, Warwick, Perth WA
Reduced sex drive is one of the biggest taboo subjects in menopause. At LEPT Nutrition, based in Warwick and working with women right across Perth's northern suburbs, we hear the same question week after week: "Where did my sex drive go?"
If you're in your late 40s, 50s or 60s and asking yourself that same thing, you are far from alone.
Fluctuating hormones during perimenopause can send desire in either direction — sometimes an unexpected spike, sometimes a plummet that seems to come from nowhere and doesn't lift. For many women, it's that plummet — and the feeling of being stuck in it — that's the real concern.
But it would be a mistake to pin it entirely on hormones. This is also a life stage packed with pressure: careers at their peak, caring responsibilities stacking up, and a body that's changing in ways that don't always feel good. On top of hormonal desire, there's also receptive desire — how ready your body, mind and relationship are to respond to intimacy — and that's shaped just as much by stress, body image and connection as it is by oestrogen.
Let's look at each of the main "sex drive killers" during menopause, and what actually helps with each one.
Sex Drive Killer #1: Dryness and Pain
Reduced oestrogen affects vaginal lubrication, which can make the vagina drier and sex uncomfortable or even painful. You may also notice you're less sensitive to touch and slower to become aroused — both common, both explainable, and both manageable.
What helps:
Water-based lubricants to reduce friction during sex.
A prescribed low-dose oestrogen cream, pessary or vaginal ring — ask your GP or gynaecologist whether this is suitable for you.
Vaginal moisturisers, used daily (separate from sex), to ease general dryness and irritation from vulvovaginal atrophy by helping tissue retain moisture. Olive oil and coconut oil can also serve this purpose.
Regular sexual activity or masturbation, which promotes blood flow to the area and helps keep tissue healthy.
Supplement Support: Probiotics for Vaginal Health
Beyond lubricants and moisturisers, the health of your vaginal microbiome plays a real role in comfort, dryness and infection resistance during menopause — and this is an area where targeted probiotics can help.
One option we're often asked about is the Amelia Bio range, an Australian women's health company built specifically around vaginal microbiome support:
V-Spot — a vaginal probiotic pessary (Australia's only TGA-listed product of its kind) containing four researched Lactobacillus strains: L. crispatus, L. gasseri, L. rhamnosus GR-1™ and L. reuteri RC-14™. Because it's inserted vaginally rather than taken orally, it delivers bacteria directly to the site rather than relying on it surviving digestion — the manufacturer's guidance is one pessary at bedtime for 5–10 days.
V-Soothe — a moisturising cream formulated with resveratrol, allantoin and sea buckthorn oil, designed to calm dry or irritated intimate skin.
B-Clear — a boric acid cream designed to help gently balance intimate skin.
These are worth a conversation rather than a guess — if you have a diagnosed reproductive health condition, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or you're unsure whether a vaginal probiotic is right for you, check with your GP, gynaecologist, or one of our practitioners here at LEPT Nutrition before starting anything new.
Sex Drive Killer #2: Stress
Midlife is often peak stress: careers in full swing, children (young or grown), sometimes ageing parents to care for, and relationships to maintain through it all. Sex is often the first thing pushed to the back burner.
What helps: building stress-reduction into your daily routine, not just for special occasions. Deep breathing, short daily meditation, yoga, or a creative outlet like art or journalling — the specific practice matters less than the consistency.
Sex Drive Killer #3: Avoidance
"Use it or lose it" applies here. Avoiding sex because you're not in the mood can lower desire even further — sexual stimulation increases blood flow to the vagina, which keeps tissue healthy, while avoidance can leave the vaginal lining thinner and less elastic over time.
What helps: planning intimacy rather than waiting to feel spontaneously ready, shifting some focus from intercourse to foreplay and touch to build blood flow, and not being afraid to explore what works through masturbation or a vibrator — both genuinely effective ways to support blood flow and arousal.
Sex Drive Killer #4: The Normal Ageing Process
It's hard to feel like sex when the mirror shows changes you didn't ask for — greying hair, extra kilos, drier skin, new wrinkles. It's easy to stop seeing yourself as "sexy" once you start seeing yourself as "older." But this is less about your body and more about self-image.
What helps:
Accepting your body as it is now — your strength, your personality, your curves are still there, alongside the changes.
Practising a "sexy mindset" deliberately — noticing the parts of your body you do feel good about, rather than only cataloguing what's changed.
Small resets that shift how you feel — a new dress, heels, makeup you enjoy wearing, underwear that makes you feel good.
There's genuinely good news here too: many women report increased desire after menopause, once the anxiety of perimenopause settles.
Sex Drive Killer #5: Mood Disorders and Medications
Depression and anxiety both reduce sex drive, and hormonal shifts during menopause make mood disorders more likely in the first place. Some medications used to treat them — particularly SSRIs — can independently lower libido as a side effect.
What helps: if you're on an antidepressant and libido has dropped, talk to your doctor about alternatives — therapy, or non-SSRI options that carry a lower risk of sexual side effects, may be worth discussing.
Sex Drive Killer #6: Other Underlying Conditions
It's easy to blame every symptom on menopause, but low libido can also point to something else entirely — an underactive thyroid, chronic pain, bladder issues, or a medication side effect unrelated to mood. A check-up with your GP can rule these out.
The Bottom Line
There's rarely one single cause behind a lower sex drive in menopause — usually it's a mix of hormones, stress, body image, and physical comfort. The good news is that most of these are things you can influence: better sleep, a stress-reduction habit, movement you enjoy, nutrition that supports hormone balance, and addressing physical discomfort directly rather than pushing through it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is low libido during menopause normal? Yes — it's one of the most common menopause symptoms, driven by a combination of hormonal changes, physical discomfort, stress, and shifts in body image. It's rarely caused by just one factor.
Does sex drive come back after menopause? For many women, yes. Once the hormonal fluctuations of perimenopause settle into the more stable, lower-oestrogen state of post-menopause, some women report their desire actually improves compared to the perimenopausal years.
Can diet and nutrition affect menopause libido? Nutrition supports the foundations that libido depends on — stable blood sugar, hormone balance, energy levels, and sleep quality. It's not usually the whole answer on its own, but it's a piece worth getting right, which is exactly the kind of thing we work through with clients in our menopause nutrition program.
Are vaginal probiotics safe to use during menopause? Vaginal probiotics like Amelia Bio's V-Spot are designed and TGA-listed for general vaginal microbiome support. As with any new product, if you have a diagnosed reproductive health condition, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are unsure, check with your GP, gynaecologist or one of our practitioners first.
When should I see a doctor about low libido in menopause? If low libido is distressing you, is affecting your relationship, or is accompanied by other symptoms (pain, unusual bleeding, mood changes that concern you), it's worth a conversation with your GP — both to rule out other causes and to talk through options like topical oestrogen, medication review, or a referral.
Where can I get support for menopause symptoms in Perth? LEPT Nutrition is based at Wellness Zone in Warwick, and works with women across Perth's northern suburbs — including Carine, Duncraig and Hamersley — through our 8-week menopause nutrition program and one-on-one consults.
Talk to Us
If reduced sex drive, low energy, or other menopause symptoms are affecting your day-to-day life, we're here to help — not just with nutrition, but by talking through the full picture with you.
LEPT Nutrition Wellness Zone, Unit 3/8 Dugdale Street, Warwick, WA 6024 📞 0417 627 525 Book a free 15-minute phone consultation
This article is general information and not a substitute for personalised medical advice. Always speak with your GP, gynaecologist, or one of our practitioners about symptoms or products specific to your situation.
Menopause Support
For extra support and advice on nutrition through menopause and to access the best supplementation advice and routine for you as an individual, book an appointment today with our Perth based nutritionists face to face or online.
During your consultation, our nutritionists will holistically assess current dietary and lifestyle factors, pre-existing conditions, and medications to provide dietary, lifestyle and nutritional supplement advice to support you through menopause.
After each appointment, you’ll also receive a complete individualised meal plan, surviving menopause guide and a personalised practitioner only supplement prescription if appropriate.
