Is your sex drive lagging? Sexuality is complex and delicate – so very susceptible to the ebb-and-flow of life as we know it.

If your libido isn’t what you want it to be, or what is “used to be,” it could be related to these 5 notorious sex drive killers.

5 Things that Kill Your Desire for Sex

1) Perimenopause and menopause

While menopause is known to diminish sex drive, less emphasis is placed on perimenopause – or the years (yes, years!) leading up to menopause. The literature tells us the span of time from when reproductive hormones begin changing, to when you’ve actually reached menopause, is about four years.

So you can begin experiencing some of the symptoms of this hormone imbalance – including lack of libido – long before your periods actually stop.

2) Stress and lack of sleep

Typically, these two go hand in hand. Is your life too busy for your body’s natural rhythm? Are you saying “yes,” more often than you should be? Do you have a difficult time not sacrificing your own interests and needs in order to support others? All of these contribute to stress and lack of sleep, both of which will show up in your sex life – or lack thereof.

Sex and intimacy are vital to your wellbeing and a healthy, balanced partnership. Do what it takes to de-stress your life and get it back into healthy balance. Your sex life will pick up as a result.

3) Sex is uncomfortable or painful

If sex doesn’t feel good, you won’t want to participate. While hormones may be responsible, painful or uncomfortable sex should always be a topic discussed with your OB/GYN so we can help to make it pleasurable again. For example, our practice and our patients have found tremendous benefit from MonaLisa Touch, which helps to heal and regenerate vaginal tissues so they are more elastic, lubricated and welcoming of sexual intimacy.

4) Your current medication and/or birth control

Are you currently taking medication and/or birth control? Start reading labels and see if “lack of libido” is a common side effect. Unfortunately, many medications used to treat depression and anxiety kill sex drives, as do blood pressure meds and hormonal forms of birth control. Reviewing your meds with your doctor will help to reorganize things in a way that better supports your sex life.

5) You’re unhappy with your partner/job/the past/the present/etc.

If you’re chronically unhappy for any reason – your relationship, your job, your current life path, you-don’t-even-know-why, etc. – you’re probably not having a whole lot of connected, satisfying sex. The bottom line is that regardless off the cause(s) – you’re the manager of your emotional health. This begins with the assistance of a local, compassionate and experienced therapist. Unraveling the knots that bind you emotionally with equally unravel the physical knots that prevent you from enjoying – or wanting – sex.

Are you dissatisfied with your libido? Schedule an appointment with the all-women team here at Women’s Health Associates. There’s no topic relating to you or your well-being we aren’t ready to meet with compassion, understanding and a personalized approach to finding the more vibrant, sexier you.

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