For women, fluctuations in sexual desire are natural. If a woman hasn’t reached menopause yet, it’s typical to experience fluctuations in sex drive before and after her menstrual period. Unfortunately, several factors can cause women to experience a significant decline in libido.
Medical conditions, psychological problems, relationship problems, stress, hormonal imbalance, and emotional problems all contribute to low sex drive in women. It’s a good thing, though, that there are many options available for women who want to increase their sex drive.
Sexual Desire Disorder in Women
Female Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder is a chronic condition that causes a woman to lose interest in sexual activities, and it’s actually one of the most prevalent complaints women have about their sex life.
A woman who has a sexual desire disorder, will show a significantly reduced or total absence desire for sexual activities. This is usually characterized by a lack of sexual fantasies or absence of sexual thoughts, and she won’t be interested in any type of erotic cues.
Most likely, she also won’t take any pleasure in sexual activities. Female Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder is also accompanied by reduced sexual excitement, as well as reduced genital sensations during sex. A woman suffering from impaired sex drive will most likely not be interested in initiating any sexual activities.
If these symptoms are just temporary and don’t last for at least six months, then it will just be considered as low sex drive. When they manifest for at least half a year, and the woman experiences significant distress due to her lack of desire for sex, then it may be diagnosed as Female Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder.
Causes of Low Sex Drive in Women
Factors such as previous experiences, physical well-being, emotional state, lifestyles, and relationship status greatly affect a woman’s desire for sex. If a woman is experiencing any problems related to these factors, then her sex drive will most likely be negatively affected.
Dyspareunia
When a woman is suffering from pain during sexual intercourse, the condition is called dyspareunia. The pain may be felt near the vagina or deeper inside the pelvic region. When sex is painful, it will definitely make sex unpleasurable, and it can result in reduced sex drive.
Underlying medical conditions
Many types of diseases can lessen a woman’s sexual enjoyment and cause her to lose interest in sex. These include diabetes, endocrine disorders, cancer, hyperthyroidism, neurological diseases, anemia, and arthritis.
Side effects of medications
A woman’s sex drive can decline if she’s taking certain types of medications for managing her blood pressure or for relieving depression. Even antihistamines can cause a woman to avoid sex. That’s because antihistamines cause vaginal dryness, thus making sex painful and less pleasurable.
Chronic pain and fatigue
Whether it’s because of an illness or surgery, fatigue can cause a decline in a woman’s sex drive. The same is also true for chronic pain.
Stress
In women, libido starts to decline during middle age. That’s also the age when most women are busy with their career and taking care of their family. Work-related stress, problems at home, financial concerns, and other stressors can drain a woman’s sex drive.
Menopause
Estrogen is the main culprit why women lose their interest in sex as they transition to menopause. Not having enough estrogen causes vaginal dryness which, in turn, makes less painful. In general, low estrogen levels can also result in sleep problems and unstable mood, which also contribute to low libido in women.
Breast-feeding and pregnancy
When a woman is pregnant or is breast-feeding after giving birth, the accompanying hormonal changes usually cause her sex drive to decline. In addition, pregnant and breast-feeding women may also experience changes in their body image, which can also put a damper on their libido.
Relationship problems
Emotional closeness and intimacy are very important to many women. Trust issues, communication problems, and unresolved conflicts can easily affect a woman’s sex drive and cause her to avoid having sex with her partner.
Ways to Increase a Woman’s Sex Drive
There are many ways to help a woman increase her drive for sex, depending on what’s causing her to lose interest in sex in the first place. Some of the most common treatment approaches include hormone therapy, sex education, medication, and even counseling.
For women who are taking libido-reducing medications, switching to a different type of medication can be helpful in restoring sex drive. Counseling is also helpful, especially for women who are struggling with relationship problems.
For couples who are undergoing sex therapy, counselors employ several techniques that help couples become reconnect and become more intimate with each other.
Sex therapists may also counsel couples on how to improve their communication channels so that they can be more open with each other. For a lot of women, increased intimacy and open communication mean a lot. And when they feel that they have that in their relationship, they become more open and receptive to sex.
For premenopausal women, flibanserin is typically recommended to help treat hypoactive sexual desire disorder and improve libido. Hormone therapy is also beneficial for those who are suffering from low sex drive caused by hormonal imbalance. Estrogen therapy may be in the form of a suppository, cream, pills, or ring.
Hormone therapy also helps improve vaginal blood flow and relieve vaginal dryness and atrophy. It can therefore help increase genital sensations. This can make sex more enjoyable and help motivate women to engage in pleasurable sexual activities.
Regular physical activities can also help women relieve stress, not to mention the fact that it can aid in weight loss and improve one’s mood. Exercise can also help women to have a more positive body image and increase their sense of attractiveness, which can then help them become more interested in sex.
The Bottom Line
Just as with men, a low sex drive does not have to be a permanent condition for women. As long as the problem is not ignored, there’s a lot of help available for women who wish to restore their libido and enjoy their sexuality once again.
