Causes of Low Female Libido

Popularized by Sigmund Freud, libido is defined as sexual desire, or the individual’s urge to engage in sexual activity. A more technical definition by Carl Jung explains libido as a psychic energy an individual has to put toward personal development or individuation.

Although Freud believes that the libido is a basic, primal instinct that exists in each and everyone’s subconscious, several factors may cause the libido to be impaired or reduced, most especially in women. Recent studies show that women are more likely to experience reduced libido than men, prompting health experts to coin the term “female sexual arousal disorder”, or FSAD.

Several factors may affect loss of libido in women. Causes of decreased interest in sexual activity can be both psychological and physical:

Psychological Causes of Low Libido

• Depression
• Stress or Fatigue
• Childhood experience of assault, sexual abuse, trauma, or neglect
• Body image issues
• Loss of intimacy with partner
• Anxiety about sexual performance

Physical Causes of Low Libido

• Endocrine illnesses – The endocrine glands are responsible for producing various hormones essential for well-being. Conditions such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, and hyperprolactinaemia causes hormonal imbalance which leads to decreased libido.
• Low testosterone levels – Although chiefly a male hormone, testosterone is also produced in women by the adrenal glands. Testosterone plays a role in building sex drive. Long-standing alcoholism is one factor that reduces testosterone production in women.
• Body weight - Being very underweight, severely obese or malnourished can cause a low libido due to disruptions in normal hormonal levels.
• Anemia – Low levels of RBCs (red blood cells) results in low stamina, making a person simply too tired to engage in sexual activity. Menstruation is one of women’s natural occurrences that may cause anemia.
• Medications/ drugs – Hormonal contraception, antipsychotic drugs such as SSRI’s (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), anti depressants, and opioids, and beta blockers used to manage hypertension may reduce sexual urge.
• Pregnancy and childbirth – Hormonal changes that occur throughout pregnancy and childbirth may result in a temporary loss of libido. The pain of childbirth itself may be so traumatic that a woman loses interest in sexual activity.
• Painful intercourse - An uncomfortable or painful intercourse may make women avoid sex. This can be caused by various reasons, such as pelvic infection, vaginal infections, a cyst, or lack of estrogen resulting in decreased vaginal lubrication.
• Latrogenic conditions – Iatrogenic (doctor-induced) procedures such as hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) and tubal ligation result in decreased female hormone production of estrogen and progesterone, causing decreased sexual drive.