A woman's sex drive can often wax and wane over the years due to many complex components. Low libido in women can be a contentious sore spot when your partner wants to engage in sex but she has little to no desire.
Sexual satisfaction is an important part of a woman's overall health and well-being. When problems arise, it is vital to discover what is causing her to have her libido bottom out. There are four areas that play a role in affecting a woman's desire for sex -- physical, hormonal, psychological and relationship issues.
Physical reasons
• Medications such as antidepressants and anti-seizure meds can squelch sex drive.
•Being fatigued or exhausted due to caring for children or aging parents will make her less likely to look forward to sex.
•Surgery or a prolonged illness can affect how she feels about her body and sexual functioning.
•Medical conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease or neurological diseases can all put a damper on desire for sex.
•Any type of sexual problems such as pain during intercourse or not being able to achieve an orgasm can drive sex drive into the ground.
Hormonal changes
•Pregnancy and breastfeeding have huge hormonal changes associated with them which can affect sex drive. Add to that, the fatigue, body changes, and becoming a new mom with tremendous responsibility can often put sex at the bottom of her to-do list.
•Menopause is the other huge change in a woman's life. During this phase a woman's estrogen levels drop causing vaginal dryness leading to pain during sex. Not all women will have a lagging libido during menopause but it can happen.
Psychological issues
•Anxiety and depression
•A high amount of stress related to family, work or financial issues
•Having low self-esteem and a poor body image
•History of sexual or physical abuse
•History of a previous bad sexual or relational experience
Relationship issues
•Having a poor relationship with your partner
•Lack of communication of sexual needs
•Infidelity
•Lack of trust with your partner
If any of these four areas is a source of the problem, a woman should seek out professional help by making an appointment with her primary care doctor or gynecologist. Either one are trained to discuss these issues of intimacy allowing a woman to candidly talk about her sexual concerns. It is better to approach this topic sooner than later before it begins negatively affecting your relationship with your partner.
Dr. Samadi is a board-certified urologic oncologist trained in open and traditional and laparoscopic surgery and is an expert in robotic prostate surgery. He is chairman of urology, chief of robotic surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital and professor of urology at Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine. He is a medical correspondent for the Fox News Channel's Medical A-Team Learn more at roboticoncology.com. Visit Dr. Samadi's blog at SamadiMD.com. Follow Dr. Samadi on Twitter, Instagram, Pintrest and Facebook.