Description

Women in levels of sexual desire change over the years. It is common that the high-and low-to-happen, along with the start or end of a relationship. Or that can happen with the big life changes such as pregnancy, menopause or illness. Some medicines used for conditions that affect the state of mind may also cause decreased sexual desire in women.

If your lack of interest in sex continues or returns and causes personal distress, talk with your health care professional. You may have a treatable condition called sexual interest-arousal disorder.

But you do not have to meet this medical definition to seek help. If you're bothered by a low or reduced sexual desire, you can take steps to increase your libido. Lifestyle changes and sexual techniques can put you in the mood more often. Some medications may offer promise as well.

Symptoms

none of the two can have a sexual desire that is outside of what is typical for people in the stage of life.

And even if your sexual desire is less than it once was, your relationship may be strong. Bottom line: There is no magic number to define low sex drive. This varies.

The symptoms of decreased sexual desire in women include:

  • Have little or no interest in any type of sexual activity, including masturbation.
  • Never, or only sometimes have sexual fantasies or thoughts.
  • To be sad or worried about your lack of sexual activity or fantasy.

When to see a doctor

If you are concerned by your low desire for sex, talk to your gynecologist or other health care professional. The answer could be as simple as changing a medication you take. Or you may need to obtain a condition, such as high blood pressure or diabetes under strict control.

Causes

Desire for sex is based on a complex mix of many things affecting intimacy. These factors include:

  • Physical and emotional well-being.
  • Experiences.
  • Beliefs.
  • The style of life.
  • Your current relationship.

If you have difficulties in any of these areas, it can affect their sexual desire.

Physical causes

A variety of illnesses, physical changes and medications can cause decreased sexual desire, including:

  • Sexual conditions. If you have pain during sex or not the orgasm, it can decrease sexual desire.
  • Diseases. Many nonsexual diseases can affect sexual desire. These include cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease and neurological diseases.
  • Drugs. Some prescription medications decreased sexual desire — especially medications for depression called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (Ssris).
  • Lifestyle habits. A glass of wine can put you in the mood, but too much alcohol can affect your sexual desire. The same is true of street drugs. Also, the habit of smoking decreases blood flow, which may impede the excitation.
  • Surgery. Any surgery related to your breasts or genital tract can affect your body image, sexual function and sexual desire.
  • Fatigue. The exhaustion from caring for young children or aging parents can contribute to the reduction of sexual desire. Fatigue from illness or surgery also can play a role.

Hormonal changes

The changes in hormone levels can alter your desire for sex. This can occur during:

  • Menopause. Estrogen levels decrease during menopause. This can make you less interested in sex, and cause vaginal dryness, which leads to the painful or uncomfortable sex. Many women still have satisfying sex during menopause and beyond. But some have a delay of libido during this hormone change.
  • Pregnancy and lactation. Hormonal changes during pregnancy, just after having a baby and during breast-feeding can put a damper on sexual desire. The fatigue and changes in body image can affect your sexual desire. So can the pressures of pregnancy or care of a new baby.

Psychological causes

Your mood can affect your sexual desire. Psychological causes of low sex drive include:

  • Mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression.
  • The stress linked to such things as finances, relationships, or at work.
  • Poor body image.
  • Low self-esteem.
  • History of physical, emotional, or sexual abuse.
  • Past negative sexual experiences.

Relationship issues

For many people, the emotional closeness is the key to sexual intimacy. So problems in your relationship can be an important factor in the decline of sexual desire. Often, less interest in sex is a consequence of the current problems, such as:

  • The lack of connection with your partner.
  • Unresolved conflicts or fights.
  • Lack of communication of sexual needs and desires.
  • Trust issues.
  • The concern about the ability of their partner to have sex.
  • There is not enough privacy.

Risk factors

Factors that may increase the risk of low sexual desire include:

  • Conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and coronary artery disease.
  • Pain during sexual intercourse, or not being able to orgasm.
  • Mental health conditions and life circumstances that affect your mood.
  • Several medications, including medications for depression called selective inhibitors of the reuptake of serotonin.
  • Surgery related to your breasts or genital tract.
  • The changes in hormone levels during the menopause, pregnancy, or breastfeeding.
  • The relationship problems that decrease the emotional closeness with your partner.

Diagnosis

If low sex drive is concerned, talk with your gynecologist or other member of your health care team. For some women, low sexual desire is part of a condition called sexual interest-arousal disorder. It's about having at least three of the following symptoms, which cause sadness or anxiety:

  • I do not wish to have any type of sexual activity or to masturbate.
  • Few or no sexual thoughts or fantasies.
  • Not wanting to make the first move in a sexual encounter with a partner.
  • Less or no pleasure during sexual activity.
  • Less or no interest in any sexual or erotic signals of a couple.
  • Few or none of the physical sensations during sexual activity in most of the sexual encounters.

You do not have that fit this definition to seek help. Your health care professional may look for reasons that your sex drive is not as high as you want.

During your appointment, your health care professional will ask about your medical and sexual history. Your health care professional may also be:

  • Do a pelvic exam. This search of signs of physical changes that might play a role in low sexual desire. These changes may include certain diseases of the skin of the vulva, the thinning of the vaginal tissues, vaginal dryness or pain that cause stains.
  • Recommend testing. Blood tests can check hormone levels. You can also search for thyroid problems, diabetes, high cholesterol, and liver disorders.
  • Refer to a specialist. A counselor or a sex therapist can help to verify emotional and relationship factors that may cause decreased sexual desire.

Treatment

Most women benefit from a treatment approach aimed at the many causes behind this condition. The recommendations may include sex education, counseling, and sometimes medication and hormone therapy.

Sex education and advice

Talking with a sex therapist or counselor skilled in addressing sexual concerns can help with low sex drive. Therapy often includes education about sexual response and techniques. Your therapist or counselor likely to offer recommendations for reading materials or couples exercises. Couples counseling that deals with relationship issues can also help to increase feelings of intimacy and desire.

Drugs

Your health care professional reviews of the medicines that you take. The test is done to see if any of the medications tend to cause sexual side effects. For example, the SSRI antidepressants such as paroxetine (Paxil) and fluoxetine (Prozac), may decrease the sexual desire.

If the antidepressant could be the cause of your low sexual desire, your health care professional may recommend that you:

  • Wait to see if the sex of the drive for improvement.
  • Reduce the amount of medication you take, called the dose.
  • Take a break from use of antidepressants.
  • Change your treatment of depression.

To change to another type of antidepressant can lead to a lower number of sexual side effects. Your health care professional may recommend medications, such as:

  • Mirtazapin (Remeron).
  • Vilazodone (Viibryd).
  • Bupropion (Forfivo XL, Wellbutrin XL, others).
  • Vortioxetine (Trintellix).

If you take an SSRI , your health care professional may add bupropion for treatment.

Along with the guidance and recommendations, your healthcare provider may prescribe a medicine to increase your libido. The options for women who have not reached the menopause include:

  • Flibanserin (Addyi). This is a pill that is taken once a day at bedtime. The side effects include low blood pressure, drowsiness, dizziness, upset stomach, and fatigue. Drinking alcohol can worsen these side effects. So you can take a common medicine to treat vaginal yeast infections, called fluconazole (Diflucan).
  • Bremelanotide (Vyleesi). You are given this photo just below the skin in the abdomen or the thigh before sexual activity. Some women have an upset stomach after taking the medicine. This is more common after the first injection. This side effect tends to improve with the second shot. Other side effects include vomiting, hot flashes, headache, and a skin reaction at the injection site.

In the united States, these drugs are not approved for use after the menopause.

Hormone therapy

The dryness or contraction of the vagina is one of the characteristic symptoms of the genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM). This condition can make the sex doesn't feel comfortable, and, in turn, reduce your desire. Some hormonal drugs that aim to relieve the GSM of the symptoms can help make sex more comfortable. And being more comfortable during sex can increase your desire.

The hormonal drugs, which include:

  • The estrogen. Estrogen comes in many forms. These include pills, patches, sprays, and gels. Small amounts of estrogen that is found in the vaginal creams and a slow-releasing suppository or ring. Your health care professional can help you understand the risks and benefits of each form. Vaginal estrogen used in small doses it is unlikely to increase the risk of breast cancer. However, estrogen is not going to improve sexual functioning related to the sexual interest-arousal disorder.
  • The testosterone. This hormone plays a key role in female sexual function, even though the level of testosterone is far smaller in women than in men. In the united States, the testosterone is not approved by the FDA for the treatment of sexual conditions in women. Still, are sometimes prescribed to help lift a delay of the libido. The testosterone that is delivered to the bloodstream through the skin may be useful in women after menopause. In the first place, this treatment can be judged by up to six months. If it helps, you can continue with the close supervision of a health care professional. The use of testosterone in women can cause acne, extra body hair, and mood or personality changes.
  • Prasterone (Intrarosa). This vaginal insert offers the hormone dehydroepiandrosterone directly to the vagina to help relieve pain during sex. Use this medication for the night, to relieve the symptoms of moderate to severe vaginal dryness associated with GSM .
  • Ospemifene (Osphena). Taken daily, this pill can help to relieve the pain during sex symptoms in women with moderate-to-severe GSM . This medicine is not approved for women who have had breast cancer or who have a high risk of breast cancer.

Lifestyle and home remedies

Healthy lifestyle changes can make a big difference in your sexual desire:

  • Exercise. Regular aerobic exercise and strength training are great for you in general. But it can also increase strength, improve their body image, lift your mood and increase your libido.
  • To reduce the stress. Find ways to cope with stress related to the job, money and daily hassles can improve your sexual desire. For example, you could try journaling or meditation.
  • Talk with your partner. Couples learn to talk in an open, honest way to often have a strong emotional connection. And that can lead to better sex. Talking about sex is also important. Share their likes and dislikes can set the stage for a more intimate experience.
  • Set aside time for intimacy. Hours of sex on your calendar. It may seem contrived and boring. But make the extra effort to be intimate, you can help your sex drive back on track.
  • Add a little spice to your sex life. Try a different sexual position, a different time of day or a different location for the sex. Ask your partner to spend more time on foreplay. If you and your partner are open to new ideas, sex toys and fantasy can help awaken your sexual desire.
  • Try vaginal lubricants and moisturizers. If you have genitourinary syndrome of menopause, these products can relieve some of the symptoms, such as vaginal dryness. With regular use, that might work as well as the estrogen therapy.
  • Be conscious of your habits. Smoking, the use of illegal drugs and excessive consumption of alcohol can affect your sexual desire. The suspension of these habits can help to give your sex drive a boost. You can improve your overall health, too.

Alternative medicine

Talking about the decline of sexual desire with a health care professional may be difficult for some people. So some people decide to try herbal supplements available without a prescription. But these products are not regulated. And, often, are not well studied. Herbal supplements can have side effects or change the way other medicines work. Always talk with a healthcare professional before use.

A herbal supplement blend is called Avlimil. This product has estrogen-like effects on the body. While estrogen can increase their sexual desire, they can also promote the growth of certain breast cancers.

Another product called Zestra is a plant-based massage oil. Is applied to the clitoris, labia and vagina. A small study found that Zestra increased arousal and pleasure when compared with a placebo oil. But some of the participants in the study said that they had slight burning sensation in the genital area.

Coping and support

Low sexual desire can be a challenge for you and your partner. It's natural to feel frustrated or sad if you're not able to be as sexy and romantic as you want or used to be.

At the same time, low sex drive can make your partner feel rejected. That can lead to conflicts and struggles. And this type of relationship, the stress can decrease your sexual desire, even more.

It may help to remember that changes in sexual desire are typical. They are part of every relationship, and every stage of life. Try not to focus all their attention on sex. Instead, spend some time nurturing yourself and your relationship.

To go for a long walk. Get a little more sleep. Kiss your partner goodbye before heading out the door. Make a date night out at your favorite restaurant. Feel good about yourself and your partner can be the best foreplay.

Preparing for your appointment

Primary healthcare professionals and gynecologists often ask about sex and intimacy as part of a routine medical visit. Take advantage of this opportunity to talk about their sexual problems.

If your health professional is not mentioned in the topic, you can bring up. You may feel embarrassed to talk about sex with your health care professional. But this topic is perfectly fine to talk about. In fact, your sexual satisfaction is a vital part of your overall health and well-being.

What you can do

To prepare for this talk with your health care professional:

  • Take note of the sexual problems that you've had. Include when and how often you tend to have these problems.
  • Make a list of your key medical information. Include any of the conditions by which you are being treated. Also write down the names of all the medications, vitamins or supplements you take.
  • T hink about questions to ask your health care professional and write them down. Bring on the long letter paper and a pencil or a device that you can write. That way, you can write down the information like your health care professional answers to your questions.

Some basic questions to ask your health care professional include:

  • What could be the cause of my problem?
  • My level of desire to ever return to what it once was?
  • What lifestyle changes can I do to improve my situation?
  • What treatments are available?
  • What books or other reading materials can recommend?

Questions your doctor may ask

Your health care professional will ask about your symptoms and check your hormone levels. Ask your health care professional can do include:

  • Has your interest in sex changed? And do you have trouble getting aroused?
  • Do you have vaginal dryness, trouble having an orgasm or any pain during sex?
  • How much anxiety do you feel about your sexual problems?
  • How much time have you felt a lack of desire or of any other symptoms?
  • Are you still having menstrual periods?
  • He has been in treatment for cancer?
  • Have you had any surgery of the genitals or reproductive system?
The symptoms and treatment of Low sexual desire in women