As someone who has 5 years of experience at being 39, I would say that my "libido" was more affected by my mental and emotional state than the physical stuff attributed to menopause. All it took for me was for hubby to notice me and make me feel desirable again and I got hornier than hell. Total reversal here from a year ago - poor hubby is having a hard time getting enough sleep lately and can't even relax on long car rides (gotta keep my hands busy...)
I would say 40s is prime time for female sexual peak if the atmosphere is right... so if your friend is not ready to go gentle into that good night, she shouldn't just accept this development as natural or fate. Fight it baby! 'Cause it's worth every minute!
I think that it I have to be brutally honest, my instinct tells me that my female friend just isn't that attacted to her hubby. She fancies herself a new age woman, but I think that deep down that she's a very traditional woman and she needs more of a dominant male than he is. He's a very nice decent guy, but she needs a guy who's a bit more of a caveman. Her problem is that what she wants is an intellectual caveman and frankly they are very rare. She's tall - like 5-11 and he's a bit shorter than her, very in touch with his feminine side (as she says, "he's so supportive"), but at the end of the day he doesn't know which end of the hammer is which and this really bugs her. (And by that I mean the guy isn't capable of changing a flat tire.)
I'm speculating here 100%, but I know my friend.
The problem is that for the last 20 years she's been in denial about who she really is. She tells you she wants the sensitive cardigan wearing, NDP voting gentle guy, but deep down - I think she wants a hockey player with a great sense of humour who has a degree in English Literature. A guy who gets in the odd fight at the rink (and wins), knows how to gut a kitchen, but then attends the opening of an art gallery with her.
Complicated?
You betcha.