This Disorder Could Be What’s Causing Your Abnormally Low Libido

Erectile dysfunction is a pretty commonly known disorder, despite the fact that no one wants to talk about. However, we see it portrayed in movies, we see medication for it being advertised, and comedians are constantly making jokes about it. But what people don’t talk about, is the fact that women are also prone to sexual dysfunction, and many of them live their lives without even knowing it.

Sex drives. Sex? Who isn't a fan? It's practically America's favorite pastime. Forget baseball... There are some people who find themselves constantly craving intimacy, who have an extremely high sex drive. Then there are others, who simply can’t seem to get in the mood, no matter how hard they try.

Suffering. It's difficult to compare your sex life to those of other people, as we all engage in our relationships and sexual encounters differently. While it’s normal to feel this way every once in a while, some women find that they’re constantly suffering from a low sex drive. According to Self, millions of women are currently suffering from female sexual dysfunction, which can manifest itself in more than one way.

Categories. Female sexual dysfunction, or FSD, is split up into four different categories, by how they affect every woman. They are arousal issues, problems reaching orgasm, pain during sex, and desire problems, gynecologist Leah S. Millheriser tells Self. Surprisingly, just under half of the population of women will experience some sort of female sexual dysfunction.

Common. According to Self, the most common form of FSD is hypoactive sexual desire disorder, or HSDD. It affects a total of around 4 million women in the U.S., and some of its symptoms aren’t just having a low libido, but also having negative emotions. It typically affects women between the ages of 30 and 70, although other studies have shown it has also affected women as young as 21.

Imbalance. “[HSDD] is this persistent, chronic low sex drive that lasts longer than six months and causes personal distress. We did research at Stanford on this—it’s an imbalance in the hormone levels in brain,” said Millheiser, as reported by Self.

Neurotransmitters. Unlike other conditions that affect your libido which tend to be caused by medication or problems going on in your life, HSDD is caused by a decline in the neurotransmitters in your brain. Because HSDD causes a woman to have low libido, it can lower her self-esteem as well, says Millheiser.

Problem. “It’s a multidisciplinary problem. Women who have longstanding sexual dysfunction oftentimes develop self-esteem issues, relationship issues, and quality-of-life issues,” Millheiser told Self. While men might have Viagra to help them with their erectile dysfunction, unfortunately, there isn’t much of a cure for this condition in women.

Medication. A pill called Addyi has been developed in order to try and help women with their condition, but it doesn’t work the same way Viagra does. While erectile dysfunction is a physical condition, HSDD is a mental condition, meaning the pill targets the woman’s brain. According to Self, it was initially created to be an antidepressant.

Desires. ”Your sexual desires really come from your brain. It’s about the great organ above the shoulders, rather than the one below the waist,” said expert Sherry Ross, as reported by Self. Unfortunately, this drug hasn’t been proven to work, and women who tested it only reported a 0.5 improvement in their sex lives.

Side effects. Aside from not being completely efficient, the drug also comes with some nasty side effects. It makes women tired, nauseous, and dizzy, and caused low blood pressure if women took it with alcohol or other medications. But despite the negative side effects, Millheiser says she’s glad to see progress being made and people working towards trying to find a cure for this condition.

Controversy. “To focus on the controversy takes away from the fact that there are millions of women suffering. When you give [women] that opportunity to be sexual again, it has such an important impact on their lives, many of us in my field feel that the side effects were overblown,” said Millheiser, as reported by Self.

Get help. However, Millheiser maintains that more research is being done in order to try to come up with alternative drugs to help women deal with HSDD. And for women who may be questioning whether they have this condition, Ross says it’s important to seek help because it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Treatment. ”The first thing is to try to identify the cause, then the treatment will be based on that. If you’re not in a good space with your boyfriend or girlfriend, the last thing you’re going to want to do is be intimate,” said Ross, as reported by Self.

Being honest. Ross also encourages women to talk to their partners about the way they’re feeling. Not only will this open up a healthy line of communication for the both of you, but it will help you feel less anxious about being intimate if they know the truth.

You. Were you aware that this condition existed? Do you think you suffer from it now? How were you able to overcome your issues with an abnormally low or abnormally high libido? You know we love to hear from you, our dear readers, so speak up in the comments section. Let us know what you think!