Best Treatment for Low Libido

Best Treatment for Low Libido

Sex is natural! It is part of a healthy relationship and a healthy life. Sex can provide many health benefits so there’s no need to hold back. (LINK to last blog with health benefits of sex)

But sometimes we experience issues with having sex.

Low libido is when you have no interest in having sex, masturbating or sexual thoughts.

Libido is sex drive and if it’s low, you’re just not into in sex. Low libido is actually a pretty common phenomenon.

The best treatment for low libido has to first get to the root of the problem. What is causing your low libido?

For more on this topic, also see our blog: Low Libido In Women

Understanding the Causes of Pain with Sex

Pain during sexual intercourse can have numerous underlying causes, including other pain syndromes, genetics, hormonal factors, inflammation, musculoskeletal or neurological mechanisms, psychosocial factors, and structural defects. Vulvodynia, a chronic genital pain condition, affects an estimated 10% to 28% of reproductive-aged women in the general population and can contribute to pain during sex. Additionally, deep dyspareunia can result from visceral disorders such as interstitial cystitis, pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, adhesions, pelvic congestion, and fibroids. Pain syndromes like irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, and musculoskeletal dysfunction can also overlap and be associated with dyspareunia and vulvodynia.

Many Things Can Lead to Low Libido, Including:

• Mental health issues, like anxiety or depression
• Relationship difficulties, including emotional distance or poor communication between you and your partner
• Sex with your partner is not fulfilling for reasons like inadequate foreplay, differences in sexual preferences or others
• Sexual boredom in a long-term relationship
• Hormone imbalance due to pregnancy, breastfeeding, perimenopause or menopause
• Too much stress
• Medical issues like diabetes, thyroid problems, chronic pain, fatigue and other physical symptoms
• Not taking good care of yourself – poor sleep, lack of exercise, poor diet, smoking, excessive alcohol, drug use and obesity
• Medications like some antidepressants
• Trauma

These things can all impact libido negatively. They may mean you don’t feel energized, physically good and able to focus on pleasure.

The best treatment for low libido is targeted to the root cause or causes of your low libido. The best treatments we use at The Libido Doctor include:

• Hormone therapy and rebalancing hormones. We can help if menopause is causing difficult symptoms like vaginal dryness or pain during sex. We can correct if estrogen or testosterone, for example, are too low. We can help if your stress hormones are out of balance and you need help managing cortisol levels.
• Herbs may help, such as maca, Tribulus, gingko and ginseng.
• Manage your stress levels. We will never entirely get rid of stress. It’s part of modern life so let’s just accept that. BUT you can learn how to manage stress better for a more peaceful existence.

— Try calming movement like a walk out in nature, a yoga class, tai chi.
— Deep breathing exercises are very helpful for
calming the nervous system. Try Box Breathing!
— Meditation has proven benefits for stress reduction. It reduces levels of cortisol, the key stress hormone. You can simply start with 10 minutes per day. Go to a mediation class to learn how to meditate, if you need help getting started.
— There are also apps like Calm that take you through a mediation exercise.
— Incorporate self-care into your routine. Try a warm bath in the evening with unscented candles. Do a little light yoga or stretching before-hand for a stress-free evening and a good night’s sleep.
— Try nutritional things like reducing caffeine and balancing blood sugar. You can do this by cutting out coffee & tea. Also reduce, or better yet, eliminate added sugars and processed foods from your diet. Eat good fats (think avocado, olive oil, coconut milk), good sources of protein and make sure you get plenty of healthy fresh vegetables each day.

• Change any medications that cause low libido.
• Couples therapy with your partner to improve your communication and relationship.
• Individual therapy if you want to work on mental health and/ or trauma issues.
• Get help if you have a chronic disease or chronic fatigue.
• Lose weight if you need to. Weight could be holding your libido back so work on safely getting to a healthy weight.

Maybe everything is functioning well body and mind -wise. Maybe you just need some inspiration. In addition to taking some time for self-care and planning date nights with your partner, try these tips to see if they can help you:

 Communication Talk about intimacy. In a safe, healthy, non-abusive relationship, talk to your partner about sex. Talk outside of the bedroom and not in bed, during sex. Focus on the positives and compliment what you already like about your sex life. Gently say what you don’t like. Listen and ask questions. Use language that does not put your partner down or impact their ego.

 What turns YOU on?

Get familiar with your body and what you like so you can ask for it. Learn how to turn Yourself on. For example, wear your favorite lingerie that is comfortable for you in terms of both how it feels & how it looks. Learn about your own body and your own pleasure.

Stay in the present moment and try not to think about your To Do List! Being in your body helps. You can be in your body with movement. Try yoga, dance, run etc. to bring you more into your body. This helps avoid getting distracted.

 Novelty!

Sex thrives on novelty. Think spontaneity, variety and adventure. Add something new. Keep it playful. It might stretch your comfort zone to make sexual requests. But if you both keep it playful and open-minded, adding novelty can be fun.

What can you try? New & unusual positions, sex in new places even risqué ones, new moves, role-playing, new lingerie, a new sex toy, talk about your fantasies, more sexting, add something naughty. Anything you and your partner find sexy works.

Have fun & laugh together, keep up the flirting.

Take date night to the next level by making surprise dates. One partner plans a surprise secret date. The other person is only told what to wear and when & where to meet. 

 Frequency

Sex itself boosts testosterone. The more sex you have, the more sex you want so just dive in!

 Aphrodisiacs

Try foods that turn you & your partner on:

• Artichokes
• Asparagus
• Salmon
• Oysters
• A little red wine (in moderation!)
• Chili pepper
• Dark chocolate (do we need an even better reason for chocolate?!)
• Strawberries
• Figs
• Honey (make sure it’s raw)
• Saffron
• Watermelon

Why not indulge in a romantic dinner with your man? Oysters, asparagus and chocolate-dipped strawberries / figs for dessert with a small amount of red wine (1 glass) thrown in? Simply planning a sexy dinner of aphrodisiac foods will get you both in the mood.

At The Libido Doctor, we want to help you get in the mood for sexy time! Need help? Start with our Libido Masterclass!