Sexual Fluidity after Menopause: More Women Are Exploring Their Sexuality and Falling for Other Women in Their Mid-Life

It’s a classic trope: after years of marriage a wife will suddenly fall in love with a woman, ending the marriage. This concept is based on sexual fluidity, which has been the subject of recent research. Sexual fluidity can cause a person’s sexuality to fluctuate and even change throughout their lifetime. It’s also something that is found more often in women than in men.

Sexual Fluidity. At the North American Menopause Society meeting that took place this past October, new research about the concept of sexual fluidity was presented. It was presented to help raise awareness.

Not Alone. The presenters argued that sexual fluidity is something that is more commonly found in women than men. They wanted to reach out to women who were finding themselves suddenly experiencing new emotions to let them know they aren’t alone.

Opening Up. More and more women are opening up about their own relationships with other women at later times in their lives. But this doesn’t mean that women’s previous relationships with men should be dismissed.

Complicated Dynamic. Dr. Lisa Diamond, one of the authors of the study and a psychologist at the University of Utah, believes that sexual fluidity in a middle aged woman is “a complicated dynamic between hormonal changes, physical experiences, and, certainly sexual desires.”

Late-In-Life Lesbians. There’s a idea of “late-in-life lesbians” that has led to a lot of confusion in people. Many people don’t seem to understand what causes women to enter into lesbian relationships so late in life.

A Little More Freedom. Dr. Diamond stated, “we don’t know if fluidity is more likely at certain life stages than others. But one of the things we have observed is that individuals, but especially women, go through changes that give them a little more freedom” when they reach middle age.

Sexual Exploration. Dr. Diamond’s findings reported that older women experience sex exploration far differently than when they were younger. Many reach a point where they ask themselves, “‘what do I want, who am I?’ Questions of sexuality come to the forefront.”

Adjustments. When many people reach middle age, they need to make new adjustments. Many people are finding themselves dealing with an empty nest. Others are realizing that they may not have been as happy as they once though they were.

Attraction. Between 2011 and 2015, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that only about 17% of women were sexually attracted to both men and women. Only 5.6% of men reported the same.