Hypoactive sex drive or loss of sex drive
- It may be related to the partner (sexual desire with the partner is lost but desire is felt with other people) or it may be a decrease in sexual desire in general.
- The person suffering from the dysfunction may not express the situation and continue to have sex with apathy or may even feel pain during intercourse.
- It tends to affect women, especially during menopause due to the physiological hormonal decline that occurs.
Causes?
Decreased sexual desire It may be related to the partner (with the partner, but on the other hand, desire is felt with other people) or it may be a decrease in sexual desire in general and not showing sexual interest in anyone.
It can be a primary disorder (the person has never had much sexual interest or desire) or secondary (the person used to have sexual desire but it has decreased or has disappeared).
How is hypoactive sexual desire produced?
Sexual desire is a complex process involving different types of activities: cerebral, hormonal and cognitive. This network produces stimulating and inhibitory factors that, when unbalanced, produce hypoactive sexual desire.
However, problems with, stress at work, or low self-esteem can also cause it, as well as certain medications, such as antidepressants, can have a reduced sexual desire as a side effect.
What's more, it is a very common disorder in menopausedue to the physiological hormonal decline that occurs. In fact, despite the fact that it is difficult to know the exact incidence of this disorder since many people who suffer from it do not consult a doctor and others discover that they suffer from it when they are questioned about this issue in another consultation, this disorder tends to affect to women.
Symptoms of decreased desire
The main symptom is a marked disinterest in sexual activity It may be that the affected person does not express the situation to his partner and continues to have sex with apathy. In other cases, the dysfunction will appear in the form of pain during intercourse () or as.
Treatment
The scant awareness that decreased sex drive It is a medical problem that has delayed the research of drugs designed specifically for this disorder.
The endocrinological role is important in this dysfunction, which is why it has been investigated in hormonal treatment. Hormone replacement therapy in menopausal women has been shown to improve vaginal atrophy that can be caused by painful intercourse, one of the common causes of decreased sexual desire in menopause. However, this treatment does not clearly improve sexual desire in women who do not have dyspareunia.
Additionally, studies have been conducted in women undergoing surgical menopause (in whom their ovaries were removed when they had not yet gone through menopause) with testosterone supplements, but they still provoke a wide debate among experts. Tibolone, one of the drugs used to treat menopausal symptoms, has also been shown to improve hypoactive sexual desire during menopause.
Finally, more natural treatments derived from plants are a very popular alternative. Ginko biloba extract, tribulus terrestris and Andean maca are some of the most widely used preparations, although there are no scientific studies to prove their effectiveness.
(Updated at Apr 14 / 2024)