Understand Effects of Hormones on Your Libido & Sex Life

Are Hormones Affecting Your Sex Drive?

Are hormones in a major play influencing your sex drive? Well, the answer is a firm yes. Regardless of whether you’re having a raging sex drive, a moderately healthy libido, or an annoying low sex drive, in all cases, it’s your hormones that are ruling over your bedroom. For most people, it’s the emotions that dictate their sexual desire and our emotions are directly linked to our hormones.

The truth is that a low sex drive or libido is what affects all of us at some point in our lives. The causes behind a low sex drive could be plenty but the primary among them are hormonal issues.

What’s a Normal Sex Drive?

Well, if you are curious to know what’s a normal sex drive, there’s no answer for that. It’s different for each one and you’d know what works for you and what you consider normal if you’re happy with it. While, on the other side, if you’re not too pleased with your sex drive and it’s affecting your relationship with your partner in any way, it’s time you delve deeper and find the cause.

Low libido or reduced sex drive is something that affects both men and women and there’s nothing embarrassing to talk about it and seeking help for.

Oestrogen & Your Sex Drive

Oestrogen is one of the primary female hormones that help regulate periods, boost the development of sexual organs during puberty, and is responsible for thickening your uterine lining to help you conceive and sustain a pregnancy. Besides all this, oestrogen plays a crucial role in affecting your sex drive.

There is a directly proportional relation between oestrogen and your sex drive. If your oestrogen levels are high, it means you’ll be more inclined in having a sexual relationship with your partner and if they are low, it results in a reduced sex drive. Though your oestrogen levels can drop at any point in life due to multiple reasons but age progression and menopause are the primary reasons amongst them.

While oestrogen affects your sex drive and results in low libido, it also causes immense vaginal dryness that can lead to painful intercourse because of inadequate lubrication. Some women also face sleeping issues and complain of not getting restful sleep. It can further lead to tiredness, a constant feeling of fatigue, drooping mood levels, and eventually depression.

Testosterone & Your Sex Drive

While testosterone is considered essentially a male hormone, women also produce it (though in much lower quantity compared to men). As much as oestrogen, testosterone levels are also one of the critical drivers behind a women’s sex drive. Following a similar pattern as oestrogen, testosterone levels as begin declining as your age progresses. This further aggravates the likelihood of anxiety, stress, depression, fatigue, and low mood which collectively lead to a reduced sex drive.

Women with higher levels of testosterone are believed to be having a higher sex drive than those with lower testosterone levels. While having higher testosterone levels are important for having a healthy sex drive, it is also important that your levels shouldn’t be too high. Having abnormally higher levels of testosterone is also indicative of PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) which causes such symptoms that end up affecting your sex drive.

Stress & Your Sex Drive

Cortisol, or the stress hormone, is produced when your body is under stress. The production of cortisol hormone is considered a normal stress response which is also termed a flight-or-flight response. When you’ve had a stressful situation and the moment has passed, your cortisol levels should automatically come back to normal. This is what happens not too frequently and keeps the functioning of other hormones.

While, on the other side, if your body is under a lot of stress for a long period of time, it keeps producing larger amounts of cortisol hormone. This affects your body from producing other hormones as it has now gotten used to producing larger amounts of cortisol hormone. If your body is unable to produce oestrogen hormone, your sex drive or libido is likely to take a hit. To bounce back on gaining a normal sex drive, you should consider practising stress reduction techniques to bring down cortisol levels.

Thyroid Disorders & Sex Drive

Your thyroid gland is responsible for the production of hormones that regulate your metabolism and metabolic functions. There is a direct link between thyroid gland hormones and your sex drive. If your metabolism isn’t working optimally, it can have a serious effect on your sex drive.

When your thyroid levels get low, you’re diagnosed with a disorder called hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism causes extreme tiredness and ends up reducing your sex drive significantly. Check your symptoms for those of thyroid disorder and if you feel you’ve one, get tested for Thyroid Profile with a blood test. You can go on regular medication for thyroid disorders or consult your doctor to advise you on treatment for the same. Having your thyroid function back to normal will improve your sex drive significantly.

Other Reasons for a Low Libido

Other factors, other than hormonal, that end up influencing your sex drive include:

• Your sex drive can get low if you’re suffering from a disease like diabetes or coronary artery disease.
• If you’re on a certain medication for anxiety, depression, or hypertension, it can cause your sex drive to reduce.
• Over consumption of alcohol is also linked with a low sex drive.
• If you’re pregnant or lactating, it can cause your sex drive to reduce.
• A low sex drive also results from emotional factors like not being physically attracted to your partner anymore.

How to Boost Your Sex Drive & Gain Control Over Your Hormones?

Having a low sex drive not only affects your health but also significantly impacts your relationship with your partner. It could be the reason behind the unpleasant mood and disturbed sleep too. Well, you don’t have to live with a low sex drive and do things to make it bounce back. Here are some tips to boost your sex drive and have a grip over your hormones:

• Manage your stress levels to pep up things in your bedroom. You can have a bubble bath together, go on long romantic walks, indulge in deep conversations, and have regular communication about your feelings. All of this help reduce stress levels and increase the production of oestrogen by bringing down cortisol levels.
• Speak to your medical practitioner and get on treatment for boosting the production of oestrogen hormones. This will help increase your sex drive.
• Try to add a little variety to your bedroom to spice things up. It is natural for everyone to get tired of following the same routine. Speak to your partner and know her preferences.
• If you’re suspecting a hormonal imbalance, try and get yourself tested periodically for the catalyst sex hormones like thyroid stimulating hormone, follicle stimulating hormone, and others. Having a grip over your hormones will lead you towards a happy sex drive.