[Sexuality in the climacteric].

Women undergo during the pre- and postmenopausal period typically a large number of physical and psychosocial changes that have an influence on sexual desire and on the sexual response cycle. The individual experience, the emotional and cognitive coping with these changes as well as the resulting behavioral patterns show a great interindividual variability. Nevertheless, some general characteristics can be summarized: Sexual activity is declining, but not necessary sexual satisfaction. The most common complaints are dyspareunia and lack of libido. The conditioning factors are multiple: on one hand endocrine factors, whose influences are most important in peripheral sexual organs especially the vaginal mucosa and although present somehow less important in the central nervous structures; on the other hand psychosocial factors, where partner interactional patterns and the individual learning history of sexuality play the most important roles. This knowledge has to be integrated into sexual counselling for climacteric women and their partners.