
The production of sex hormones, in particular oestrogen, falls significantly around menopause. Testosterone levels in women slowly decline from about 30 years of age. A woman in her forties has, on average, half the testosterone circulating in her bloodstream as a woman in her twenties. The reduction of these hormones may directly affect libido or sex drive and sexual function for some women. It may also cause physical and psychological changes that will affect sexual function.