Whether due to age or health issues, many people experience a loss of sexual desire in their lives—up to one in five men and even more so for women. A loss of libido can affect us as individuals, as well as cause significant relationship problems. In this blog, let's talk about what can lead to a low sex drive and what you can do to improve your sex drive.

What Can Negatively Impact Your Sex Drive?

There are several factors that could lead to a dip in your sexual desire. While every individual's situation will be different, the following are a few possible explanations for a low libido.

Hormone Changes

If your hormone levels fluctuate, especially your sex hormones, it could affect libido. For example, during menopause, some women experience a lowered libido. During this time, the ovaries stop releasing eggs, and the body produces less estrogen and progesterone.

Men experience a decrease in testosterone levels as they age, which can also lead to a lowered libido.

Changes in sex hormone levels are normal as we get older. Keep reading—later, we'll discuss what you can do about shaky hormone levels.

Read our blog to learn more about how testosterone levels fluctuate with age.

Mental Health Conditions

It's not just your sex hormones that play a role in sexual desire. Neurotransmitters are also important.

Neurotransmitters are chemicals in the brain that communicate with other parts of the body, including the sex organs. When someone is dealing with depression or other mental health conditions, the levels of their neurotransmitters can be thrown out of balance, and this can lead to a drop in sexual desire, among other symptoms.

Certain Medications

If you're taking a prescription medication, it could be negatively influencing your sexual desire. For example, certain antidepressants and birth control, as well as medications for seizures and high blood pressure, can lead to a decreased sex drive.

Substance Misuse or Abuse

Remember that alcohol is a depressant. While you might get a nice buzz in the beginning, too much alcohol can leave you feeling lethargic and even depressed. It can also lead to—you guessed it—a low libido!

Will one drink affect sex drive? Maybe, maybe not. It really depends on your tolerance levels. "Too much alcohol" might be a couple of shots for you, while it's five beers for another. How much and how often you drink are also important factors.

Relationship Issues

If it has become difficult to feel close to your partner, this could make it more challenging to even want any sexual intimacy. Whether it's a lack of communication, trust issues, or something else entirely, some individuals simply lose interest in sex.

So, there are many potential causes of a decreased sex drive. Understandably, this can make it difficult to diagnose the cause of a low libido, and thus, very frustrating. However, once you know the root cause, thankfully, there are things you can do to improve your desire for sex!

How to Improve Your Sex Drive

As we mentioned, addressing a low libido will depend on what's causing it. However, we'd like to offer a few general tips.

As a reminder, always speak with your healthcare provider before making any health-related lifestyle changes.

Get Blood Tests Done for Further Insight

This should be your first step because only bloodwork can tell you what's going on inside your body. The type of blood test you get will depend on your specific needs, but as an example, eNational Testing offers a women's anti-aging panel and a men's anti-aging panel. These blood draws will check your hormone levels, in addition to several other markers, including FSH and LH.

The results of these tests can help determine if the changes in your sex drive are indeed related to your hormones, or if it perhaps comes from something else, like lifestyle habits. Blood work can also shed light on an underlying medical condition or other age-related health problems that might be involved.

Refrain From Alcohol and Drug Misuse

Whether legal or illegal drugs/substances, if they're causing you to feel unwell in any way, you should refrain from using them. Some people mistakenly think that because marijuana has largely been legalized, it's "safe." However, it has its risks, and one of the potential downsides is erectile dysfunction. And, as we mentioned, alcohol is a depressant and can thus inhibit your sex drive.

While trying to resolve any issues with a low libido, it's best to cut out all drugs and alcohol.

Seek Mental Health Support

If you're struggling with mental health issues—like depression or anxiety—or relationship issues, speak with a qualified mental health provider who you trust. To address relationship problems, couples therapy (maybe with a sex therapist) can be helpful.

Also, if you're perhaps struggling with a low sex drive because of negative sexual experiences, therapy will be especially crucial to help you sort through your trauma. You don't have to go through this alone. A mental health professional will provide a safe space to address your sexual history, emotional well-being, and the path forward.

Make Healthy Lifestyle Changes

This is good advice for all of us, regardless of our sexual function, so we'd like to offer a gentle reminder that eating a nutritious diet, staying hydrated, getting enough high-quality sleep, and stress management all go a long way. For instance, it's hard to have any desire for sex when you're completely depleted of energy, constantly tired, and always stressed about work deadlines.

While there are many factors and variables that can affect libido, help is available to get your sex life back on track! Blood testing, therapy, and a healthy lifestyle can hold the answers to your low libido. Speak with your provider or order a test with eNational Testing today. Find a testing center near you.