She and her family relocated to Munich in 1946 and passed her Abitur at Gymnasium bei St. Anna four years later.

Lenz went on to study economics and languages at Heidelberg University between 1951 and 1953, graduating as a certified translator in English and French.

Lenz worked professionally at the German Atlantic Society [de] in Bonn from 1956 to 1958, the European Economic Community's European Commission in Brussels during the cabinet of Jean Rey between 1958 and 1963 and was then a clerk in the General Directorate for Foreign Relations from 1966 to 1968.

In 1968, Lenz joined the Christian Democratic Union of Germany's (CDU) federal office as a women's officer and had the responsibility for the publication of the magazine Frau und Politik for the CDU's women's association for several years.

Lenz was employed as a consultant in the CDU's Office for Foreign Relations in 1972 and was a research assistant to the inquiry commission Women and Society in the Bundestag.

She continued to serve as a member of the Political Affairs Committee but also became a member of the Delegation for relations with the countries of South America, the Delegation for relations with the countries of Central America and the Contadora Group.

Lenz was a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Security and Defence Policy, the Delegation for relations with the countries of South America (later and MERCOSUR) and the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Security and Defence Policy.