Low libido / low sex drive

What is low libido?

Physical causes of low libido

Psychological / social causes of low libido

Prevention / remedies / treatment for low libido

References

What is low libido?

Libido (sex drive) is your overall desire for sexual activity. Males reach the peak of their sex drive in their teens, whereas females usually feel their most horny in their late thirties. Asexual people lack any sexual desire, and a very few have never experienced any sexual desire in their lives. In contrast, hypersexual people have an extremely frequent or a suddenly increased sex drive.

Depending on age and all the other factors listed below, a normal desire for sex can range from several times per day to once a month. Lack of desire for sexual activity for long periods of time may be a hypoactive sexual desire disorder - more common in women, but unusual in men (2).

Low libido or lack of sex drive is common in women but unusual in men. Low libido should not be confused with erectile dysfunction. Most men with lack of libido can still achieve erections, but have lost the desire to have sex. Some (but not all) men find that their interest in sex diminishes as they get older.

There is no agreed measure of what a healthy sex drive actually is. Sexual libido problems are common in both men and women, and are affected by many factors such as mood state, interpersonal functioning and numerous medications. Depending on who you talk to, estimates of the number of people affected by low sex drive range from a small percentage to more than 80%. (3)

For both men and women, sexual desire is often important for both the formation and maintenance of an intimate relationship.

A woman's sexual desire is correlated to her menstrual cycle, with most women having a heightened sexual desire in the days before ovulation.

An occasional drop in your sex drive is normal, but extended periods that affect your relationships or self-confidence need attention.

A low sex drive can have both physical and psychological / social causes.

• Hormonal. Female hormone levels (1, 2). A woman's progesterone, dopamine, testosterone, acetylcholine, oxytocin, serotonin and other hormone levels have a direct impact on her interest in sex. The traditional (incorrect) thinking is that it is testosterone that drives female sexual behaviour and libido, but studies show that it is normally progesterone that performs this function. (4)
  
  In men, low levels of testosterone and adrenal hormones can cause erectile dysfunction. This is not the same as low libido, but the two can be linked.
• Vitamin D too low. Low levels of vitamin D are linked to a variety of sexual, reproductive and libido problems. Good levels of vitamin D are needed for the production of many hormones, including progesterone and testosterone.

Physical causes of low libido

• Illness. You won't be feeling too sexy when your nose is running or you have a headache. PMS may leave you uninterested in sex for a few days. Other illnesses such as heart disease, hypothyroidism, adrenal exhaustion, arthritis, atherosclerosis, erectile dysfunction, diabetes, cancer, UTIs, surgery, lung disorders and sexually transmitted diseases may also cause a drop in your sex drive. Being severely underweight or overweight does not help.
• About half of all women experience different health problems in the area of the vagina and vulva at some time. Many conditions around the female genital area such as thinning, tightening, dryness or atrophy, and yeast (thrush) or bacterial infections can cause frustration or pain and make intercourse less desirable.
• Malnourishment. Poor diet, lack of certain nutrients. Anemia.
• Aging. Some studies show that sexual enjoyment gets better with age, with a peak in the mid or late 60's. In my ebook Grow Youthful I discuss how older couples may be less inhibited, do not have to fear pregnancy, and are less distracted by children or busy lives. Sexual responsiveness may improve or decline with age.
  
  Menopause or peri-menopause affects women differently. In some women decreased estrogen may lead to a diminished sex drive or vaginal dryness. However, the levels of testosterone increase at menopause and this is why some women may enjoy an increased libido.
  
  Men can experience a decrease in their libido as they age. However, men who are fit, not overstressed, healthy and well-nourished are likely to maintain both their sexual desire and function. More in Grow Youthful.
• Pharmaceutical drugs and medications can decrease your sexual appetite. Well-documented libido inhibitors include antidepressants and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), hypertension medications and beta blockers, psychotropic drugs, sedatives, opiates, hormonal drugs (eg: flutamide as Eulexin or Flutamin) and even birth control pills. (3)
• Recreational drugs. Although alcohol may act as a social lubricant and lower inhibitions for some people, it actually reduces sexual desire and performance. Cigarettes, marijuana, and most other drugs are similarly negative.
• Atherosclerosis, obesity, hypertension, poor cholesterol profile, coronary heart and vascular disease.
• Chronic stress. Physical stress lowers libido. Fatigue, lack of sleep, imbalanced stress hormones (cortisol).
• Environment - noise, bright lights, discomfort.

Psychological / social causes of low libido

• Unhelpful beliefs, dysfunctional upbringing, sexual or psychological abuse. Psychological issues can cause the repression or sublimation of your sexual urges.
• Religious and moral beliefs and restraints may be so strong that some not only refrain from acting on their urges, but curb and deny the urges themselves.
• Parents and family. The example that your parents and other family members provided as you were growing up.
• Body image. If you feel uncomfortable with your physical body you may hide or withhold it from your partner.
• Depression.
• Erectile dysfunction and low libido are not the same thing. However, the inability to get an erection can cause Sexual Performance Anxiety.
• Self-confidence. Both your own, and that of your partner. Sexual self-confidence is different to other forms of self-confidence (social, intellectual, sport etc).
• Stress. Events and issues that feel stressful and dominate your mind suck the sexual energy right out of you.
• Major life changes, even positive changes, can knock your sex drive. They include marriage, divorce, separation, new job, moving house and so on.
• New baby. Women often have a low libido after giving birth, and this is compounded by a lack of sleep, demand for constant attention, new priorities, breast feeding, hormonal changes and occasionally postpartum depression.
• A person may have a desire for sex but not have the opportunity to act on that desire.
• Anxiety from an unexpected/unwanted pregnancy.
• Attractiveness and fitness of your partner.
• Relationship issues. An occasional temporary disinterest in your partner is normal. However, if there is tension or unhappiness in your relationship, it will eventually show up in your sex life.
• Poor communication of sexual needs and preferences.
• Changing sexual desires can no longer be satisfied within the current relationship. A disparity of sexual desires between partners.
• Infidelity leading to a lack of trust.
• Lack of privacy. Feeling unsafe. (For a few people, the effect may be just the opposite!)
• Loss or lack of intimacy.
• Distraction.

Prevention / remedies / treatment for low libido

• Diet. It is essential to get sufficient saturated fat and cholesterol, as these important fats are required for your body to make all its own steroidal hormones.
• Vitamin D from sunlight. Get out in the sunshine. The advice to avoid sun is one of the greatest public health mistakes of the century. Your health care provider should monitor your vitamin D level and ensure that it is at least 70 ng/ml (175 nmol/L). If you can't get sufficient sunlight in the winter take 40,000 IU of vitamin D3 supplement and make sure to also take 500 mg to 1000 mg of magnesium (on the skin) and 150 mcg of vitamin K2 (not K1) per day. They are important cofactors for optimising vitamin D3 supplementation.
• Hormones. Progesterone applied as a cream on the skin.
  
  Note: Testosterone is commonly regarded as the libido-increasing hormone for both men and women. However, it may not be as effective as progesterone and TRT comes with a risk of side-effects.
  
  Note: synthetic pharmaceutical hormones are less effective and have nasty side-effects. Many doctors are unaware (or don't want to know) how important it is to use real or natural hormones rather than patented look-alikes with altered molecules.
• Borax.
• Apple cider vinegar.
• Challenging each of your beliefs and values. Are they serving you, are they in line with your values and what you want to achieve in life? Or are your beliefs based on programming by others? It is very difficult to see how realistic your own beliefs are, but if an area of your life is not working this is an indication that something is amiss. A small child can often give you an accurate view.
• Regularity. Use it or lose it. If you don't have a partner, enjoy a regular, nourishing, self-honouring masturbation.
• Exercise. No need to be super-fit, but you do need to be fit enough to maintain good health.
• Cayenne pepper.
• Zinc.
• Hydration. Drink sufficient, but not excessive water.
• Good and honest communication with your partner, helping to remove stress caused by unvoiced needs and secrets within the relationship.
• See details of remedies recommended by Grow Youthful visitors, and their experience with them.

References

1. Ziegler, T. E. Female sexual motivation during non-fertile periods: a primate phenomenon. Hormones and Behavior. 2007, 51(1), 1-2.

2. Clayton AH. The pathophysiology of hypoactive sexual desire disorder in women. July 2010. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 110 (1): 7-11. PMID 20434725.

3. Rosen RC, Lane RM, Menza M. Effects of SSRIs on sexual function: a critical review. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 1999 Feb;19(1):67-85.

4. Jeffrey D. Blaustein. Progesterone and Progestin Receptors in the Brain: The Neglected Ones. Endocrinology June 1, 2008 vol. 149 no. 6 2737-2738.