Talking about sex is considered taboo in our society, especially when a woman talks about it. Why? It is normal to talk about sex and engage in sexual activities. Women are often shameful and prefer not to about sex. But that only makes them less interested when they are not able to experience the pleasure or fulfil their desires.
Sex drive means a person’s desire to engage in sexual activity. A low sex drive refers to decrease in desire related to sex and high sex drive means increase in desire related to sex. Another word we can use for sex drive is ‘Libido’.
According to Dr. Simpkins “Libidos are personal to each person but it does appear that men peak at a younger age than women due to hormones. Women of childbearing age have conflicts in libido based on ovulation, pregnancy, post-partum. Young men with large amounts of testosterone are indeed peaking with their sexual desire."
Every person is different and thus have different sex drive which is totally normal and nothing to worry about. There might be various reasons for increase or decrease in sex drive. In case you are wondering about the causes and its solution, you are at the right place.
Causes of lower sex drive in women:
Desire for sex is based on many things like intimacy, beliefs, emotional well-being, physical fitness, relationship status, etc. There might be various reasons for lower sex drive in women which might be due to changes or problems caused in any of the above stated interactions.
The causes can be :
- Physical Causes
- Psychological Causes
- Hormonal Changes
- Other problems
Physical Causes: Physical changes are the changes occurring in our body. Physical changes or problems can result in low sex drive. Some examples are Medical diseases, medications, surgery, lifestyle habits, exhaustion, age, obesity, sex related problems, etc.
Psychological Causes: Everything is well if your state of mind is well. Mental health, stress, tension, etc. can affect sex drive in women. Not only this, past trauma, negative sexual experiences, physical or sexual-abuse faced in the past can be a big factor for the same.
Hormonal Changes: Hormonal changes in women are most common especially at the time of menopause, pregnancy, breastfeeding, menstruation, etc. While increase in progesterone during menstrual cycle seem to suppress the sex drive, estrogen has the totally opposite effect. Some hormonal changes like menopause, pregnancy and breastfeeding in women can lead to lower sex drive.
Other problems: Other issues such as relationship problems, conversation gap, conflicts with partner, difference in sexual needs, etc. can result in reducing the sex drive in women. As per https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/314181 even long term relationships may reduce sex drive in women.
Ways to increase sex drive in women:
Libido can be increased by various methods. Some of the methods are:
1.Maintaining good diet: Nutritious diet is good for health and can surprisingly help in increasing the sex drive in women. With good and balanced diet, one can stay healthy and stay away from diseases, infection, fatigue, etc.2.Healthy mind: Managing anxiety, stress and tension can be very healthy for your sex life. Having anxiety or stress can create barriers in your sex life. Stress might or might not be related to your sexual activities. It might also be due to life related stress or anxiety.
To reduce anxiety and prepare a healthy mind, you can try:
- Regular exercising
- Nutritious diet
- Do what you like
- Take a therapy
- Talk to someone you know
- Take a good sleep
3.Pre sex activities: Directly jumping on sex might reduce the desire to have sex. You can ask your partner to indulge in pre sex activities like touching, kissing, foreplay, etc. For many women, foreplay may be very important. It might not only help to lighten up the mood, but also make the sexual activities more intense.
4.Sex Therapy: While we say therapy can help improve mental health, sex therapy is an effective way of increasing a low libido. Individual therapy can help women to talk about their confidence, body issues, negative views about sex, etc. As we know many women avoid talking about it, sex therapy might be a nice opportunity for them to open up. Whereas couples therapy can help a couple to work through their sex life, reduce tension if any, or get guidance.
5.Limit Alcohol Intake and Smoking: Alcohol and Smoking can have a negative effect on a person’s libido. Alcohol functions as a depressant to the nervous system and as we know anxiety is bad for sexual health thus it affects the sex drive. Smoking reduces the stamina and might be a contributing factor in decreasing libido.
6.Food items: Certain food items may also help in increasing the sex drive. Such as-
You might have heard that aphrodisiac food may increase libido. But the fact is that there are no such thing as aphrodisiac foods. Although a nice dinner date might help to increase the romance.
- Chocolates promotes the release of phenethylamine and serotonin in body which produce mood-lifting effects and improves libido. As per https://www.jsm.jsexmed.org/article/S1743-6095(15)31344-8/fulltext study, effect of chocolate is more psychological than biological.
- A glass of wine can never go wrong. One glass of wine can increase interest in being intimate. However, its intake must be kept minimum. Too much alcohol can ruin your experience as well.
7.Herbal Remedies: Yes! You herd it right. Herbal remedies are effective at increasing sexual functioning in women. Although, herbal remedies should be use when prescribed by doctors. But some herbs like basil or garlic can be added to your dish without medical prescriptions and can be found easily. As per some studies, the following herbs might help in increasing libido:
- Maca
- Gingko
- Ginseng
- Tribulus
8.Improve your relationship: Reduction in sex drive can be caused due to relationship problems like stress between the partners, fights, tension, not enough attraction, etc. Improving relationship quality can be found very helpful in this condition. Sometimes, being with someone for a long time might also affect the sex drive. In this case, focusing on improving the relationship can increase sex drive in partners. Go on a date or just build one. Get a good movie, some wine and food, enjoy each other’s company and see the magic.
9.Maintaining Weight: Every body type is perfect and beautiful. Although, a healthy body weight can not only help increase sex drive, but also keep you away from various diseases. As per various studies and scientists, overweight and obesity might be a reason for decrease in sex drive.
10.Exercising: Some studies show that for women with diabetes, exercising may help lower diabetes-related symptoms and this might also help in increasing the sex drive. Some of the exercises proved beneficial are:
- Yoga ( https://balance.media/yoga-poses-for-better-sex/ )
- Walking
- Kegels
- Swimming
- Strength Training
As per some studies men has more testosterone than women, but young women have large amounts of circulating testosterone compared to older menopausal women, which contributes in decreasing sex drive in women with age.
Sex is a personal phenomenon and self-choice. In order to have a good sex life, maintain a healthy life. Sex drive can be increased or decreased with various methods. But all matters in the end is “Are you ready?”. And if you are, then just go ahead.