Help! My wife (67) can’t orgasm since having a full hysterectomy

Q: My wife is 65yrs old and has been going menopause since having a full hysterectomy at 39yrs old. When I am giving her oral she feels no sensation or orgasm now for 7 yrs. Prior to this, we had a great enjoyable sex life.

It is fabulous that you and your wife have enjoyed a great sex life, and I absolutely want to support you in getting that back! A loss of sensation and ability to climax during oral sex can indicate clitoral atrophy. This is when the clitoris stops responding to sexual stimulation due to a loss of sensation, there is often a decrease in sex drive, and sometimes the clitoris even disappears behind the clitoral hood. Which of course, makes climaxing very difficult. 

Clitoral atrophy is usually a result of a change in hormones or inadequate blood flow to the clitoris. The hormone testosterone plays a big role in libido and the clitoris relies on it for sexual arousal. It makes sense that following a full hysterectomy, it is not unusual to experience clitoral atrophy as the ovaries are responsible for producing testosterone. 

Another reason for the loss of sensation is decreased blood flow to the clitoris, which can happen when there is a decline in sexual activity and stimulation. This makes it quite the catch-22 dilemma! It starts with a loss of sensation and arousal following a hysterectomy, leading to lower libido and desire to engage in sexual activity, therefore decreasing the amount of stimulation the clitoris receives, resulting in even less sensation. 

Luckily for all the post-menopausal women and their partners, there are some solutions! The best (and most exciting) advice is to keep having sex and stimulating the clitoris. So, jump in and have fun with a lot more oral sex and perhaps introduce new ways to engage in mutual masturbation. It is also a fabulous reason for your wife to indulge in some sensation-developing time on her own!

Other options include moving in whatever way your wife enjoys as any form of exercise or movement will increase blood flow to the clitoris and begin to build the sensation again. This will also help keep the testosterone levels from decreasing. Testosterone supplements are also a great option to put some zing back into your sex life and can be prescribed through her doctor. 

IMPORTANT LEGAL INFO This article is of a general nature and FYI only, because it doesn’t take into account your personal health requirements or existing medical conditions. That means it’s not personalised health advice and shouldn’t be relied upon as if it is. Before making a health-related decision, you should work out if the info is appropriate for your situation and get professional medical advice.