Women in the climacteric: reflections on sexual desire, beauty and femininity

Abstract

The climacteric is a long period of a woman's life, characterized by metabolic and hormonal alterations that bring changes involving the psychosocial context. Having as reference the sexuality alterations experienced in the climacteric, this literature review aims to reflect on women's sexual desire, beauty and femininity in this phase. The methodology involved a bibliographic study of papers and books published between 1999 and 2009. The exaggerated need of eternal beauty and youth is aggravated in the climacteric, when the female body does not have the same physical vigor due to alterations deriving from aging. The climacteric woman lives the myth of loss of sexual desire; however, she continues to feel pleasure and must not stop manifesting love and sexuality. The stereotyped social view about the woman's role (wife and mother) can interfere negatively in women's view of themselves and in their relationship with people and the world. Therefore, it is essential that women have access to health information to understand the changes of the climacteric/menopause period, viewing and re-signifying this phase as part of their life cycles and not as synonymous with old age, non-productivity and end of sexuality.