Sexual Health - Postmenopausal Women Improved by
Hypnotic Relaxation Therapy
Sexual Health for Postmenopausal Women Improved by
Hypnotic Relaxation Therapy
Aug. 15, 2013 — Hypnotic relaxation therapy
improves sexual health in postmenopausal women who have moderate to severe hot
flashes, according to Baylor University researchers who presented their
findings at the American Psychological Association's recent annual meeting.
The study, which examined sexual
comfort, sexual satisfaction and sexual pleasure, is a first step toward a safe and effective
alternative toward hormone replacement therapy, which carries associated
risks of cancer and heart disease, said Gary Elkins, Ph.D., director of
Baylor's Mind-Body Medicine Research Laboratory and a professor of psychology
and neuroscience in Baylor's College of Arts & Sciences.
The conclusion was based on a study
funded by the National Institutes of Health. For the study, 187 women were randomly
assigned to receive either five
weekly sessions of hypnotic relaxation therapy or supportive counseling,
said lead researcher Aimee Johnson, a doctoral student in psychology and
neuroscience at Baylor University.
Led by researchers at Baylor's Mind-Body
Medicine Research Laboratory, all study sessions were conducted by
master's-level therapists trained in clinical hypnosis. Participants in the
hypnotic relaxation therapy group received a hypnotic induction followed by
suggestions for relaxation, coolness and mental imagery. Participants who
received sessions of supportive counseling discussed their symptoms with a
trained therapist but did not receive any hypnosis.
Women completed questionnaires at
the beginning of the study, at the end of treatment and at a 12-week follow-up.
They also were asked to complete a self-report questionnaire assessing the
extent to which hot flashes interfered with sexual intimacy. The decrease in estrogen
that accompanies menopause
is associated with hot flashes, night sweats, weight gain and vaginal dryness,
discomfort or pain.
"The most common complaints are
being too tired, anxiety,
depression, hot flashes and the fear of close contact," Elkins
said. Because warmth that comes from closeness can trigger a hot flash, some
women grow to fear intimacy, he said.
At treatment's end, women who had received hypnotic
relaxation therapy reported significantly higher sexual satisfaction and pleasure, as well as less
discomfort. This improvement also was seen at the 12-week follow-up
assessment.
"Women's sexual health improved,
whether because of sleeping
better, less stress
or fewer hot flashes, or perhaps other unknown mechanisms," Elkins
said.
Researchers noted that
postmenopausal sexual health can be affected by factors other than hot flashes,
among them fatigue, self-esteem, a partner's health, relationship quality and a
lack of interest by either or both partners.
For many women -- among them those
who have had breast cancer -- hormone replacement therapy is not an option for
menopause-related symptoms. Estrogen,
for example, has been associated with more rapid growth of breast cancer.
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