How to Combat a Low Libido

A healthy sex drive is an essential part of a healthy adult's life. With this assumption come the weight and pressure of expectations and the value judgments inherent in this statement. These questions are questions, which due to their personal nature and their association with the largely taboo, or at least hush hush, subject of sex go mostly unasked. What is a healthy sex drive? How often is often enough to think about or desire sex? How much is too much, and even more alarming and therefore silent, how often is too less? While it may be acceptable, if not actively encouraged during some parts of our history, for females to have a low libido, that is little to no desire for sex, the same condition can become a thing of shame when it affects a male. It is, therefore, a condition not much talked about. Which is not to say that it does not exist. A number of males may suffer from a low libido, though it is not as common a condition to be treated as erectile dysfunction.

What does it mean to have a low libido? It is not, as is commonly and mistakenly assumed, a problem with attaining or sustaining an erection. Men with a low libido may be able to have and keep an erection, and this condition has nothing to do with erectile dysfunction. It merely means that the patient has little to no desire for sex, or at least, a lower desire for sex than average. A person suffering from a low libido is perfectly capable of engaging in sex, they may simply have little or no desire to do so. This lack of a sex drive, in both men and women, may have a number of causes, which could be either physical or psychological.

A number of physical factors could be the cause of a low libido. Alcoholism is one such major cause. Alcoholism in general leads to a suppression of your body's natural appetites and its ability to express those appetites. This can include the sexual appetite, leading to a low sex drive and little to no desire for sex in the person suffering from alcoholism. The same is the case with a number of dependencies and addictions, including addiction to, or habitual use of, drugs such as cocaine. Major diseases such as diabetes, hormonal disorders or blood pressure or heart problems may also have an effect on your desire for sex. Obesity is one common cause that can lead to an inhibited or absent sex drive. This can be remedied by losing the weight. A testosterone deficiency is an uncommon but possible physical cause of a lack of libido.

There are also a number of psychological conditions and problems that may be responsible for a low libido. Stress is the leading one. Overwork and fatigue can also be factors affecting your sex drive. Stress causes your whole body to fall out of sync and the system becomes weakened and ineffective in its functioning. When the body fails to get sufficient rest to be able to bounce back to normal, it spirals down the slope towards collapse. A low libido is just one signal of this impending breakdown in such a case. Depression is the other major psychological cause for a low libido. Contrary to popular belief, men are at least as likely as women to suffer from depression, if not more. When a person is depressed, their body's metabolism and immune system suffer, and it is difficult, mentally, to get in the mood, or express desire of any kind. Childhood issues that have not been dealt with, or latent homosexuality may also be the underlying causes behind a low sex drive. Problems in the relationship with one's partner have also been known to affect the libido.

There are no medications for this condition, since most of the causes are either psychological and can be treated successfully through counseling or therapy. The physical causes are for the most part conditions with their own treatments, which have nothing to do with a treatment for a low libido and would take place anyway, regardless of whether this problem also exists. The only exception is the rare case where the cause is a low testosterone level. In such cases hormonal treatment is available to increase the level of testosterone in the body. Dopamine treatment may be another possible treatment that may be successful in treating cases of low libido. Studies have shown that patients suffering from Parkinson's who underwent dopamine treatment showed a heightening in their sexual desire. However, for the most part it is possible to successfully treat a low libido with therapy or other treatments without having to resort to medication. The first step, as it must be in any successful cure, is an accurate diagnosis. Before treatment can be sought, the causes must be carefully examined.


Back>>