To evaluate the relationship between body image and sexual changes in midlife women, researchers at Penn State University conducted a survey among 307 women. The women were heterosexual and in different stages of their lives - 21 percent reported being pre-menopausal, nearly 64 percent were undergoing menopausal changes and 15 percent were post menopausal.

Analysis of the results revealed that regardless of a woman's age, she was more likely to consider herself more attractive when she was 10 years younger. This opinion did not change whether or not she had been through menopause.

Of the respondents, nearly 21 percent could not think of one attractive feature and reported an overall dissatisfaction with their bodies. The features women considered the least attractive were hips, thigh, legs and stomach.

Researchers found that the more a woman perceived herself as unattractive, the more likely she was to indicate a decline in sexual desire or activity. Menopause generally causes the percentage of body fat to increase by nearly 50 percent. The weight tends to be redistributed resulting in larger breasts, a thickening around the waist and increased fat on the upper back.

While it is natural for midlife women to change shape, many women resist these changes due to aging. In the United States, a great deal of importance is placed on maintaining a slender, attractive body. This creates pressure and anxiety and may contribute a low self-image among women and reduced sexual desire.

Researchers note that over the past years, a number of companies have marketed hormones and other treatments to menopausal women for improved sexual functioning and satisfaction. However, they believe that treatment of menopausal effects for sexual satisfaction may be unwarranted based on the survey results. For the majority of the women in the study, menopausal status had less impact on their sexual response than their body image.

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