December 11th, 2015
Low sex drive or poor sexual libido is a bar on relationships and can significantly alter the quality of sexual and reproductive life of affected couples. According to latest estimates, the prevalence of hypoactive sexual disorder in females is fairly high. For example, according to a study reported in Jama Internal Medicine (1), about 26.7% premenopausal females report some degree of sexual dysfunction in United States. The prevalence is almost twice as much in post-menopausal women i.e. 52.4%.
Several pathophysiological factors may influence the libido or sex drive in females. In fact healthcare professionals believe that low libido in females is mostly multifactorial i.e. more than one factor is responsible. Most notable ones are; emotional and physical health, intimacy, relationship experiences, lifestyle and culture/ beliefs.
Low sex can be due to medications, physical changes or illness. Most frequently reported causes include:
Sex desires are also affected as a result of biochemical changes in the body; some scenarios are:
Emotional or psychological changes can also affect sexual desires in females such as:
Emotional closeness is perhaps the most important element in the sexual intimacy. Females with troubled relationships also experiences issues in the sex life. Some important factors are:
If both partners are not interested in engaging in sexual intercourse, no conflict is generally reported. It has been generally observed that most cases of female hypoactive desire syndrome go unnoticed for a long time. However, if male partner is more interested in sexual activity, the desire discrepancy often leads to a distress in the relationship.
There is no classic definition or measurement criteria to gauge sexual interest in women. Generally the diagnosis is clinical; depending upon the symptomatology and history of the individual.
Women with low sex drive usually presents with:
You can consult a doctor to address the cause of low sex drive. Sometimes, the solution can be as simple as switching the type of medications you are consuming for your medical condition.
The approach to treatment depends on the cause of primary problem. Some recommended modalities include; counseling, education about sex and medication.
Speak to your healthcare professional to learn about other therapeutic options.
1. West, S. L., D’Aloisio, A. A., Agans, R. P., Kalsbeek, W. D., Borisov, N. N., & Thorp, J. M. (2008). Prevalence of low sexual desire and hypoactive sexual desire disorder in a nationally representative sample of US women. Archives of Internal Medicine, 168(13), 1441-1449.
2. Kingsberg, S. A., & Rezaee, R. L. (2013). Hypoactive sexual desire in women. Menopause, 20(12), 1284-1300.
3. Simon, J., Braunstein, G., Nachtigall, L., Utian, W., Katz, M., Miller, S., … & Davis, S. (2005). Testosterone patch increases sexual activity and desire in surgically menopausal women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 90(9), 5226-5233.
4. Puppo, G., & Puppo, V. (2015). US Food and Drug Administration Approval of Addyi (Flibanserin) for Treatment of Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder. European urology.
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