If you find yourself not being in the mood for sex lately, you may be wondering if your birth control pills are causing the problem. Although there are many reported cases of women experiencing a decrease in their libido after taking birth control pills, it doesn’t happen all the time.
There are actually women who experience a considerable increase in their sex drive after taking birth control pills. In fact, different types of birth control methods have varying degrees on women’s sex drive. Continue reading to find out how contraception can affect your sex drive.
How Contraceptive Pills Work
Contraceptive pills for women typically contain hormones like progestin and estrogen. Depending on the brand, the formulation may vary, as well as the dosage. Nevertheless, the effects are similar.
Birth control pills basically affect women’s hormones in such a way that it results in suppressed ovulation. Moreover, birth control pills also affect the production of hormones in the ovary. This results in decreased levels of androgens, which are the equivalent of testosterone in women.
Negative Effects of Birth Control Pills
Oral contraceptives, although effective in preventing unintended pregnancy, have other effects that may potentially impair a woman’s sexual function. These include reduced vaginal lubrication and vulvar pain.
Vaginal dryness is extremely bothersome for sexually active women. For one, it can cause pain during sex. More importantly, it can significantly diminish sexual enjoyment and satisfaction. When you’re feeling pain instead of pleasure during sex, it can destroy your motivation to have sex and significantly reduce your libido.
Long-term use of oral contraceptives may also result in vulvar pain during and even after sex, which further makes sex less enjoyable. In addition, birth control pills may also cause the inner vaginal lips to become thinner, which contributes to the discomfort that women experience during sex.
How Does Contraception Lower Your Libido?
In truth, different contraception methods can affect women’s libido in varying degrees. In one study, researchers reported that almost 25% of 1,938 women experienced a lack of interest in sex within six months after they started taking a new contraceptive method.
Furthermore, the researchers noted that women who were using a hormonal implant, vaginal ring, and depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) were more likely to feel a lack of sexual interest than those who were using a copper intrauterine device (IUD).
In addition, the authors reported that they didn’t find any association between lack of interest in sex and usage of a hormonal patch, oral contraceptive pills, and hormonal IUD. The researchers explained that DMPA and hormonal implants release progestins systematically, which then results in suppressed ovarian function and inhibited estrogen production.
Reduced sex drive and declining sexual function in women have been closely tied to decreased estrogen levels. The negative effects of birth control pills on women’s sexual functioning also contribute to reduced libido.
Sex-Enhancing Effects of Birth Control Pills
Birth control pills have a lot of positive effects that help to increase women’s interest in sex, as well as improve their sexual function. For instance, because birth control pills provide effective contraception, women are less worried about unintended pregnancy, making them feel more confident and freer to engage in sexual activities.
In addition, birth control pills also help reduce painful menstrual cramping, as well as relieve premenstrual syndrome. Menstrual cramps and other PMS symptoms like bloating and irritability can make a woman uninterested in sex. By relieving these symptoms, oral contraceptives help make sex more enjoyable.
Sex drive isn’t absolutely controlled by hormonal levels. In some women, the physiological and psychological benefits of contraception contribute to a significant increase in their sex drive. The use of contraceptives helps eliminate the fear of unplanned pregnancy, as well as help reduce mood swings and menstrual discomfort, thereby improving libido.
Aside from the positive psychological effects of contraception that help increase women’s sex drive, some women also react positively to the estrogen content of hormonal contraceptives.
Naturally Increasing Female Sex Drive
Just like with men, it’s also totally possible to naturally boost women’s sex drive. A nutrient-dense diet provides you with all the necessary nutrients and minerals that your body needs in order to maintain normal hormonal balance.
Getting enough quality sleep also helps promote hormonal balance. Taking supplements like Tribulus terrestris can also help increase libido and improve sexual function. Maca can also help improve women’s sexual function.
One study involving women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder showed that supplementation with Tribulus terrestris for a month led to significantly increased female sexual function scores.
More specifically, those who took Tribulus terrestris supplements experienced great improvements in their sexual desire, sexual arousal, vaginal lubrication, sexual satisfaction, and reduced pain during sex, as compared to the women who were given a placebo.
Women who have hypoactive sexual desire disorder suffer from a distressing lack of libido. They’re not just uninterested in sexual activities, they also typically don’t have any sexual thoughts or fantasies whatsoever. The study showed that for women who are suffering from this distressing sexual problem, Tribulus terrestris can be extremely beneficial.
Maca, on the one hand, has been shown to benefit women suffering from sexual dysfunction induced by antidepressants. Depression medications like SNRIs and SSRIs are known for their adverse sexual effects.
Women taking these types of medicines often suffer from low libido, as well as arousal and orgasm problems. Studies indicate that maca can help alleviate the sexual problems, particularly low libido and orgasm problems, experienced by women taking antidepressant medications.
The Bottom Line
Women react differently to various birth control methods. For some, using contraceptives result in decreased libido due to the hormonal effects of the contraceptives. For other women, contraception boosts their interest in sex because they’re less worried about an unplanned pregnancy.
However, if your chosen birth control method does negatively affect your libido, there’s no need to worry. You can switch to a different type of contraceptive and you can restore your sex drive through various natural means, so you don’t have to stop using contraceptives.
