Episode Overview: Stress and Its Impact on Your Libido

Dr. Diane Mueller: Hey everybody, welcome to another episode of the Libido Lounge. I’m your host and board-certified sexologist, Dr. Diane Mueller, and I have with me today a new friend, somebody I’m so excited to introduce you to, the Hormone Boss, a fellow naturopathic physician. We’re going to talk about all things hormones today, diving deep into the connections between hormones and libido, especially for women dealing with low libido, women, and stress. I know some of you listening already know that hormones can impact sexual health. Today, we’ll get everyone up to speed, dispel myths, bust stereotypes, and address fears around this topic. So, Dr. Iris, thank you for joining me today.

Dr. Iris: Thank you so much. That was a lovely welcome. I’m really excited to be here with you.

Dr. Diane Mueller: Yeah, I’m excited for more time. Every time we’ve chatted, I’ve just enjoyed the conversation so much. So let’s lay the foundation. Can you help us understand the connection between hormonal health and libido, especially when it comes to low libido, women, and stress?

The Hidden Link: Stress and Hormonal Health

Dr. Iris: Well, first of all, women can experience issues with libido at any stage of their life, right? The biggest connection I’m passionate about is how stress impacts our ability to produce hormones in healthy amounts. This is often overlooked when we think about our sex hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. We don’t always consider the impact of stress on the production of those hormones. Stress can disrupt your ability to make hormones in the right amounts for your age, and that directly affects libido.

Dr. Diane Mueller: I want to ask about stress because it feels like a cliché thing we hear all the time, and sometimes people think, “Oh yeah, stress, I’ve heard it before.” But there are situations where people don’t feel stressed because they don’t sense anxiety or tension. For example, I recently reactivated my aura ring to track stats, and my heart rate variability (HRV) is still low, around 20 to 24, which is half of where I’d want it to be. Stress is a big factor in lowering HRV, yet I feel pretty chill most days. So, how do people recognize when they’re stressed, especially if they don’t feel it?

Recognizing Hidden Stress and Its Symptoms

Dr. Iris: That’s such a great point. Your resilience against stress can protect you from feeling its effects initially. Stress causes adrenal glandular output, producing cortisol, our main fight-or-flight hormone, which shields you from stress early on. In stage one adrenal fatigue, you produce lots of cortisol and feel protected, so you might not consciously feel stressed. But over time, prolonged stress depletes the adrenal glands’ ability to make cortisol, leading to adrenal fatigue. Symptoms like fatigue, sleep disturbances, unexplained weight gain, anxiety, depression, or foggy brain can show up, and you might not realize they’re stress-related. Sometimes, it can take up to two years after a traumatic event for these effects to crash down on you.

Dr. Diane Mueller: I want to emphasize that point—the crash might not happen right away. You could have an intense period and not notice symptoms for a year or two. For listeners wondering about low libido, women, and stress, how do we help them understand that stress isn’t just a cliché but a fundamental issue?

Why Stress Isn’t Just a Buzzword

Dr. Iris: It’s true, stress is everywhere, and it’s talked about constantly because it’s unavoidable. But the key isn’t spending hours on stress management or avoiding stress altogether—that’s not feasible. Instead, it’s about solutions to handle stress better and build resilience. Your hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, your stress response system, varies based on your childhood, traumas, inherited traits, and how you’ve learned to respond to stress. We can improve this system with botanical medicines, nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle changes to optimize hormone production and combat low libido in women caused by stress.

Dr. Diane Mueller: That’s so important—less about avoiding stress and more about keeping the body balanced. Stress causes dysfunction in sex hormones, which can lead to sexual health imbalances. Before we move on, I want to remind everyone about my book, coming out around November 1st. It covers physical root causes of low libido, women, and stress, plus solutions for pelvic pain, erectile dysfunction, vaginal dryness, and more. Pre-order at wanttowantit.com to get almost $250 in bonuses. Now, let’s talk myths about hormones and sexual health. Are there any big misunderstandings?

Busting Myths About Hormones and Libido

Dr. Iris: One major myth is overlooking testosterone’s role in women’s health and libido. Many think testosterone is just a male hormone, but women need it for brain health, mood, bone density, and libido. While men have more, women require testosterone for optimal health, and stress can directly lower its production, contributing to low libido in women.

Dr. Diane Mueller: That’s huge. It’s shocking that testosterone isn’t FDA-approved for women, despite its clear impact on sexual health. Let’s talk about aging. What’s a natural hormonal change with aging versus a dysfunctional one?

Hormones, Aging, and Perimenopause

Dr. Iris: Women approaching midlife and perimenopause are often told symptoms are just part of aging and they have to live with it. But many arrive at perimenopause with pre-existing hormonal deficiencies and imbalances. Blaming everything on menopause overlooks the fact that your body isn’t producing hormones in the right balance for your age. Addressing this earlier can change how you age. Hormones are powerful anti-inflammatories, reducing chronic pain, joint degeneration, and skin aging. Optimized hormones slow the aging process and lower risks for dementia, osteoporosis, and heart disease. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can play an elegant role, but it’s not always necessary.

Dr. Diane Mueller: In part two, we’ll dive into testing and HRT myths—check the show notes for access. When should women start thinking about hormone health?

When to Check Your Hormone Health

Dr. Iris: Hormone health matters at every age because stress can deplete hormones even in younger women—I’ve tested a 16-year-old with deficiencies. But after 40, it’s critical to optimize hormones to ease the perimenopause and menopause transition. Waiting too long isn’t ideal, but starting now is always better than never.

Dr. Diane Mueller: What do you mean by an “elegant” approach to hormone replacement?

The Elegant Approach to Hormone Replacement

Dr. Iris: Elegant hormone replacement means addressing the root cause of deficiencies, ensuring you’re producing the right amount of hormones for your age, and avoiding generic protocols. It involves personalized, bio-identical hormones, preferably topical over oral, to avoid side effects. Testing the progesterone-to-estrogen ratio is key to feeling good and avoiding estrogen dominance. Overdosing hormones to levels your body isn’t used to can cause problems, so physiological dosing—mimicking what your body naturally needs—is crucial.

Dr. Diane Mueller: That individualized approach is so important. Before we wrap up, tell everyone about your free consultation.

Free Consultation and Next Steps

Dr. Iris: My free one-hour consultation is directly with me. I listen to your symptoms, assess what’s happening, and develop a three-step plan you can implement on your own or with my help. For comprehensive programs with testing and supplements, I work with people in the U.S., but I offer consulting for international clients too.

Dr. Diane Mueller: We’ll have all those details in the show notes. Thank you, Dr. Iris, for joining us. Everyone, check out her free consultation and our exclusive part two content on testing and HRT myths. You can find me on YouTube, on Instagram, and check out our Modern Libido Club for so much more!