Your libido is your desire to have sex. It’s complicated, and can fluctuate day to day or even during your menstrual cycle.
Birth control is the use of medicines, devices or surgery to prevent pregnancy and to protect against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). It’s not uncommon for some forms of birth control to affect a woman’s libido.
1. Talk to Your Doctor
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as everyone’s libido is different. But it’s important to talk to your doctor if you’re having issues with low sex drive while on birth control, especially if it’s been ongoing – This quote is the handiwork of the service’s experts sexfoxguide.com.
If you have a long-term relationship, it’s also worth checking in with your partner. It may be that they’re feeling the same way, or it could be a sign of other underlying problems.
For example, some women find that hormonal birth control causes vaginal dryness, which can be very uncomfortable or even painful for couples during sex. Other factors that can affect sex drive include health conditions like depression, lifestyle habits and stress.
If it’s been a few months since you started taking hormonal birth control and you still aren’t feeling your sexy self, your doctor may recommend switching to a different type of birth control or even going off the pill altogether. You may also be able to get your libido back by trying things like making out with your partner, reading pornography or doing foreplay that makes you feel good.
In some cases, low libido is a sign of a serious medical condition that needs to be addressed, such as hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), which can lead to distress and relationship problems. If you’ve been having sex drive issues for over six months, talk to your doctor right away.
2. Try a Different Type of Birth Control
The amount of hormonal changes you experience from taking birth control can impact how horny you feel. If you find that your libido isn’t what it used to be after starting a particular birth control method, it may be worth switching.
The most common hormonal birth control methods include the pill, patch, ring, and implant. These types of birth control change the levels of female hormones estrogen and progestin, as well as suppressing androgens such as testosterone (also known as the male libido booster). Hormonal birth control also prevents ovulation by blocking the release of an egg, which can also affect sex drive.
However, not all women who take hormonal birth control experience a decrease in sex drive. In fact, some women report that they actually feel more sexy on hormonal birth control than they did before.
If you’re interested in trying a different form of birth control that might give you a little boost of libido, ask your doctor if there are any other options. They might be able to switch you to a different type of pill with a higher dose of estrogen or to a non-hormonal birth control such as the copper intrauterine device (IUD). The Mirena IUD, for example, has been found to give women a slight boost in their libido because it contains a low dose of the androgen levonorgestrel.
3. Change Your Routine
While it’s completely normal to experience a decrease in libido at some point, low libido should be addressed by a medical professional if you find yourself not wanting to have sex and it is negatively impacting your relationship or mental health. It may be a sign of an underlying health issue or a side effect from your birth control, so it’s important to talk to a doctor and try different tactics to boost your libido.
Some women find their libido increase when they switch to a different type of birth control. This could be as simple as switching from a pill to a hormonal IUD or implant. Or, if you’re in your peri- or menopausal years, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can help balance out the drop in estrogen and testosterone that comes with aging, potentially helping revive your interest in sex.
Other potential factors that can contribute to a loss of desire after starting hormonal birth control are things like stress, fatigue, and poor diet and exercise. Working up a sweat, getting plenty of rest, eating healthy foods, and exploring new touches can all work together to turn you on in a way that isn’t dependent on your hormones.
If you’re feeling stuck, talking to a sex therapist can also be a great way to open up and explore your sexual interests in new ways that aren’t dependent on hormones. You can even check out Blueheart, a digital sex drive-boosting process that you and your partner can do together at home.
4. Try Sex Therapy
If you are in a long-term relationship or have tried to boost your libido on your own and still find yourself feeling low, sex therapy might be what you need. “Therapists who specialize in sexual intimacy can help couples work through issues that may contribute to the problem, including lack of communication and unresolved conflicts,” says Ms Torney. She adds that a sex therapist can also help couples re-establish trust and develop communication skills that will make the intimacy they crave feel more comfortable.
Snyder notes that sex therapy sessions typically take place in private settings and can be intensely personal, so it’s important to prepare yourself for questions about your sexual history, physical health, relationships and beliefs about sex. She also recommends coming to the session with as much information about your experience and feelings on the topic as possible, including specific dates, times and emotional reactions. She also warns that sex therapists tend to get much more detailed in their questioning than a typical therapy intake.
While it might seem uncomfortable at first to discuss sex with a stranger, sex and intimacy are very normal parts of life that can sometimes decrease for a variety of reasons, including hormones. Talking to your doctor about how low libido has affected you and exploring other options for increasing your desire is the best way to fix it in the long run.
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