What is loss of libido & how can you remedy

Sex simply means a state of being male or female. Sex also means a physical activity that involves physical contact between bodies to evoke a sense of joy and pleasure through intercourse. Having sex on a routine basis is beneficial for your overall health. Sex boosts your immunity, cardiovascular health, mental health, helps to maintain a healthy intimate relationship with your partner. Sex allows the partners to know each other’s likes and dislikes. Sex helps partners to show love and affection, more secure feeling in your relations. It helps to get a pleasurable and fun moment between partners. Allows getting pregnant. From a global point of view, it is a very basic process that prevents the homosapiens from extinction.

Despite all these advantages, there is a drastic decline in sex in day to day life, in all the age group. Studies report that a baseline of having sex twice a week is noted in the younger age group that is 20-30 years. In the older population 40 to 50 years and more, noted to have a lesser frequency of having sex even way below the baseline.

Newer studies report the least sexually active countries are the developed countries such as Japan, the USA, United Kingdom, Singapore, New Zealand, and Thailand. Japan remains on the top list where people show very little interest in sex. Japan is facing problems with declined population growth. Reports say about 40% of young Japanese men have no interest in having sex and have disgusting feelings towards it. Worldwide it’s noted due to various reasons people are losing interest in sex.

In a study done on 34000 men and women. It was noted that a significant decline in sex was noted in all age groups for women. For men, a decline in sex was noted in the 16-24 year age group. Decreased sex activity was noted in people who are married or who have living together relation in the age group 25 and above.

Having sex only once a week does not suggest one has decreased interest in sex. One will be having the sex drive but due to reasons sex would be restricted. Loss of libido therefore is the decreased sex drive or decreased interest in having sex. It happens in most people at some point in their life. Loss of libido won’t happen suddenly. It is a gradual process where one experiences less or no sex drive towards his/her partner for the past several months.
Hypoactive sexual desire disorder is seen in women where they have an absence of sexual thoughts, sexual fantasies, or any kind of sexual activity that is caused by personal distress or difficulties in their relationship.

To treat loss of libido first one should identify the reason behind it. There may be various causes for loss of libido that can be emotional, psychological, hormonal, or physical causes.

Amazing advantages of a regular sexual life

Regular sex can help to look younger. Researchers conducted in Royal Edinburgh Hospital found that people who have regular sex look five to seven years younger than their actual age. Sex helps you to boost your fertility. Semen health is at its best when sex lasts happened less than two days. Significant fall in semen health beyond 10 days. If you are trying for a baby it is always better to have sex at least twice a week so that the sperm will be fresh and are best in its activity. It fights cold and flu. Studies have noted people who have regular sex have 30% more IgA immunoglobin which protects you from cold and flu. Sex helps you to live longer.

A study conducted in Australian people noted that people who have sex at least three times a week have a 50% less chance to die due to any medical condition than those who have sex only once a month. Sex helps to reduce menstrual cramp pain. The contraction in muscles at peak of climax causes relief in the tension of uterus muscles that ease the pain during menstruation. Sex is a good exercise for the pelvic muscles in women. Women often have a problem in controlling the micturation.

Good sex strengthens the pelvic muscles and gives greater control over micturation. Prevents one from getting a heart attack. A study conducted in Israel found women who had two orgasms a week has 30% less likely to have heart disease than those who did not have sex or didn’t have an orgasm in their sex. The high sexual activity makes the body release pheromones which help you to enhance your sex appeal to the opposite sex. Prevents skin from wrinkling. Estrogen levels naturally drop after the following menopause. This causes the skin to get dry and becomes more wrinkled. One American study has noted women who are having sex after menopause every week tend to maintain a high estrogen level. This prevents the skin from drying up and getting wrinkled.

Sex is an aerobic form of exercise that helps to increase blood flow and pump higher levels of oxygen, nutrients to the skin. Sex helps one to remain confident in their appearance. Studies conducted on Scottish men and women found that those who had a good amount of sex has less mental stress and have lower blood pressure. Sex has a wonderful effect on reducing headaches. This is due to the release of a happy chemical called oxytocin and endorphins. This oxytocin release during sex is found to give relaxation and promote sleepiness. Thus sex help to get good sleep. Regular sex helps to maintain the estrogen levels after menopause that helps to prevent bone thinning (osteoporosis). Nottingham University researchers have found that men who have regular sex in their 50s lower the risk of prostate cancer. This is due to toxins released by the prostate gland are cleared while having sex. This prevents the accumulation of these toxins which would otherwise trigger cancerous change.

What are the causes of loss of libido?

There are various reasons for loss of libido. Several factors contribute to it. So while treating loss of libido, the underlying causes should be identified and must be rectified, to make the treatment more effective.

Reasons for loss of libido in men can be due to variation in hormonal level, emotional reasons, aging, and psychological, physical conditions. Hormonal reasons in men can be mainly attributed to testosterone. Testosterone is a male hormone that is a very important hormone for the production of sperms, sex drive, building muscles, and bone mass. 300 nanograms/decilitre is considered a low testosterone level. The lowering of testosterone happens in the process of aging. A drastic decrease in testosterone level can cause loss of libido. Medications used for treating blood pressure such as ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers cause erection and ejaculation problems. Medications used to treat cancer, hormones used for the treatment of prostate cancer, cimetidine used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), opioids such as morphine, some antidepressants, and antifungal medications such as ketoconazole also causes loss of libido. Restless leg syndrome (RLS) is an uncontrolled urge to move a leg. Studies have noted that men who are suffering from RLS have a greater risk of getting erectile dysfunction and can cause loss of libido. Mental illness such as depression can cause loss of libido. An antidepressant such as duloxetine, fluoxetine, and sertraline may cause less sex drive. Chronic illness such as cancer, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol level, obesity, lung, and heart diseases causes loss of libido. Sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea cause low testosterone levels leading to loss of libido. The aging process and stress, less exercise, or too much exercise can affect levels of testosterone which in turn causes loss of libido. Frequent use of alcohol, drug abuse can also be a reason for the loss of libido. The emotional and hampered relationship causes anxiety leading to erectile dysfunction.

In females loss of libido can be due to physical causes such as a change in sexual problems where she can not get orgasm due to painful sex. Medical conditions such as high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes, the neurological disease can reduce sex interest. Any surgery that has been done on the breast or in the genital tract that affects the body image can decrease sex drive. Lifestyle habits and excess drinking habits can reduce sex drive. Weakness due to caring for children, family responsibilities, pregnancy too reduce sex drive. Psychological causes such as anxiety and depression, past sexual abuse experience, stress either work stress or financial stress, poor body image, low self-esteem can reduce the sex drive. Hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and menopause alters the sex drive. Levels of estrogen hormone decrease by the time of menopause. Decreased levels of estrogen cause dryness of vaginal tissues that results in painful sex. This can lead to loss of libido. Relationship issues where no mental connection with your partner, frequent arguments, fights with the partner, and trust issues cause her to show no interest in sex.

Treating lack of interest in sex

If you feel you have lost interest in sex or you have changed from what you used to be regarding sex, you need to visit a doctor. Your doctor would take a detailed history of your condition. Detailed history regarding your medical condition, emotional stress, psychological condition. Your doctor may advise you to do some lab tests. This would help your doctor to extract the underlying cause for loss of libido.

As a part of the treatment, you have to reprogram your life .change your lifestyle where you should find time to do exercise. Exercise will help man to boost their testosterone levels which help them to be active in sex. In women, exercise helps to maintain their body shape and fill them with self-confidence. You have to control your stress by finding a way such as yoga, meditation, or taking counseling to control your work or financial stress. You should have an open interaction with your partner, feel open to talk about what you are going through. You have to quit your habits of smoking, alcohol as it decreases your sexual drive. This also helps you to boost your health. Get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation has a strong link to reducing your sex drive. Find time to spend with your partner and on having sex try to include something new. Try new positions, or ask your partner to take more time in foreplay. Stick to a healthy diet that should contain fruit, green leafy vegetables especially spinach which is rich in folic acid that helps in sperm production and its development. In hypoactive sexual desire conditions in women, doctors may prescribe various medications to improve desire. Flibanserin, this drug is only prescribed for pre-menopausal women. Flibanserin has to be take in a single dose before bed help to increase sex drive. Bremelanotide is a subcuticular injection (injection taken below the skin) usually injected in your belly or thigh by yourself before you indulge in sexual activity. Bremelanotide is prescribed only for premenopausal women. Hormonal therapy such as estrogen therapy, Prasterone therapy, Ospemifene therapy in females, and testosterone therapy. Estrogen is available in various forms of cream, pill, spray, patches. Estrogen prevents the vagina from drying up during the time of sexual activity. Prasterone therapy, Ospemifene therapy helps to ease sex by preventing painful symptoms during sex. Testosterone therapy in women was found to improve lagging libido.

Nitric Oxide essential in vascular relaxation. NO-donor creams are available for topical application. Another L-arginine product has demonstrated positive results in the treatment of female sexual dysfunction. A study has noted that women who lacked sexual desire exhibited statistically significant increases in clitoral sensitivity, sexual satisfaction, increased frequency of sexual intercourse, and decreased vaginal dryness

In men who suffer from testosterone deficiency and hypogonadism can be treated with testosterone replacement therapy help to improve libido. Loss of libido that occurs due to erectile dysfunction can be treated with various medicines such as Sildenafil, Tadalafil, Eriacta, Super P-Force tablets.

Prostaglandins have been used effectively in male sexual dysfunction, especially erectile dysfunction (administered through penile injection), it showed positive results for women with genital sexual arousal disorder, most likely through increasing vaginal secretion and arterial smooth muscle relaxation.