CONTRACEPTIVE CARE OF THE OLDER PATIENT – CHANGING RELATIONSHIPS; THE END OF CONTRACEPTION
The relevance of tensions within a family to a particular sexual difficulty cannot be guessed by the doctor and may not have been appreciated by the patient until she or he can talk freely about whatever comes to mind. Then the listening doctor may be able to make the connection with the patient and they can continue to work together to resolve the problem.
Some people are only too delighted to be able to put the fear of pregnancy behind them and embark on a sexual life free from the nuisance of contraception. For others, as has been suggested, the ambivalence about making the change to the next phase of life can cause problems. At the present time there is often a gap between the onset of menopausal symptoms and the moment when natural infertility can be assured. It is to be hoped that it will not be long before there are hormonal preparations that will allow this gap to be filled more smoothly.
*281/197/1*
