Low Libido

Falling Sexual Appetite

Psychoanalytically speaking, libido is the energy of the sexual drive as a component of the life instinct. It is because of libido that humans procreate and maintain life on earth. But when libido decreases, sexual interactions plummet. This can occur due to physical or psychological reasons.

Erectile dysfunction is a common cause of low libido. When a man can’t keep an erection firm enough for sexual intercourse, a variety of factors can be at play: medications, low libido, atherosclerosis (clogged blood vessels), high cholesterol, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome or even psychological reasons.

Believe it or not, some men where never turned on by sex ever since they were a teenager, but they were always able to “get it up” when receiving oral sex. In this case, there is nothing physically wrong with their penis, because it becomes fully erect during oral sex. This is an example of erectile dysfunction secondary to psychological factors.

Hypoactive sexual desire disorder is when a person lacks any desire to engage in sexual activity, causing personal distress. It’s not known what causes it. Some have had a lack of sexual desire their entire lives, while others acquired it. When it’s acquired, it can be directed towards their partner or towards anyone; sometimes they prefer to be sexually intimate only with themselves. Counseling is usually the recommended treatment.

Hypogonadism is a failure of the testes or ovaries to function property, resulting in low libido, sexual dysfunction or infertility. Some causes include:

• Genetic disorders (i.e.: Turner syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome)
• Autoimmune disorders (i.e.: Hypoparathyroidism, Addison’s disease)
• Infectious causes (i.e.: Mumps of the testes)
• Cryptorchidism (i.e.: undescended testes)
• Liver and kidney diseases

. . . and many more. Treatment depends on the disorder or complication at hand. Lastly, some people have low libido because of mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, history of physical or sexual abuse or stress. People with uncontrolled anxiety may not be able to enter a right state of mind required to perform sexually, because they are too preoccupied and affected by their symptoms.

People suffering from depression can care less about sex. Some barely have any energy to eat or sleep; sexual activity is the last thing on their mind. And people with PTSD may experience the loss of libido because of ongoing depression related to their symptoms of hypervigilance, social isolation and flashbacks.

Those with a history of physical or sexual abuse may be turned off by the idea of sexual stimulation. Their trauma has scarred them so badly, that they lack any desire to connect with another person physically; sometimes even emotionally. And believe it or not, stress can play a huge role in sexual desire: it can worsen your mood, make you more irritable and ruin your relationships.

As you can see, low libido can occur due to many physical and psychological factors, and many were not even mentioned here. If you are experiencing low libido, it is best to try to analyze yourself as to why, and if you still can’t pinpoint the reason, then it’s time to seek professional care.

Are you Ready? (This is Defeating Stigma Mindfully)