A low sex drive can have many causes. In some cases, reduced hormone levels are the cause.
Older women may have a low sex drive due to menopause when the female hormone estrogen reaches lower levels and causes low sexual desire. Other menopausal symptoms, such as poor vaginal lubrication, can lead to painful intercourse. Low estrogen can cause hot flashes. These menopausal symptoms may add to a woman’s lower desire for sex.
Testosterone is a hormone that fuels a man’s sex drive. Testosterone levels begin to decline after age 30. When they reach a low level, a man may begin to lose the desire for sex and his erections may not work as well anymore.
A low sex drive is not always due to hormone imbalances. In both men and women, low sex drive can also be caused by certain chronic illnesses. Some of these may include:
- Diabetes – changes in blood sugar can cause fatigue, which can lead to lower sexual desire. Obesity in diabetes may lead to a change of testosterone to estrogen in men and cause lower sexual desire.
- Cancer – fatigue due to cancer, cancer pain or cancer treatments, such as radiation, surgery and chemotherapy, can lower a person’s desire for sex.
- Parkinson’s Disease – challenges with movement and lower levels of the neurotransmitter Dopamine can lower sexual desire.
- Mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety can also cause lower sexual desire.
Other parts of life can also lower a person’s desire for sex. These can be the stress of daily life, coping with money problems or job loss, recent loss of a loved one, or an ongoing need to manage a chronic illness or a life after an injury.
If you have a low sex drive, start by talking to your primary care doctor or nurse, or to a mental health expert to help you learn more. Your doctor can help you come up with a treatment plan or refer you to a specialist to talk about further options.
Dr. Daniela Wittmann is an Associate Professor of Urology at the University of Michigan. She is also certified as a sex therapist and a sex therapy supervisor by the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists. She conducts clinical care and research at Michigan Medicine.