Project 415562

The menopausal transition is associated with a number of physical, emotional and psychological changes that have an adverse impact on a woman's functioning and overall quality of life. Sexual concerns (e.g., low sexual desire, pain during intercourse, poor body image) are highly prevalent among peri- and post-menopausal women, with 68% to 86.5% of women reporting these concerns at some point during the transition. Hormone therapies, including estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone treatments, are currently the most commonly prescribed treatments for sexual concerns during menopause. However, these treatments are associated with potential health risks and side effects for some women. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a psychological treatment that has been proposed as a low-risk alternative treatment for menopausal symptoms. Thus far, CBT has been shown to be effective for some menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes, depression, anxiety, and poor sleep. However, sexual concerns have either not been targeted at all during these interventions or, when directly targeted, only modest improvements have been observed. This study will evaluate the efficacy of a new four-session CBT protocol designed specifically to target commonly reported sexual concerns among women during the menopausal transition. The impact of CBT on sexual concerns, related distress, and associated difficulties (e.g., anxiety, depression, body image, relationship satisfaction) will be evaluated. This study will be the first to investigate the efficacy of a low-risk alternative treatment program specifically tailored to address the unique sexual concerns that women report during menopause.