Have you been experiencing low sex drive in the past few days? It is common to feel low sex drive from time to time, but when such an issue becomes recurrent, one should probably consult a general physician.
What Is Low Libido?
Low libido (low sex drive) is defined as a decreased interest in any sexual activity. Your interest doesn’t have to match your spouse’s interest at times.
Low sex drive in men can be a result of issues like low testosterone, medicinal side effects, mental health disorders like stress, anxiety and depression, or sexual dysfunctions.
But experiencing such difficulty more often than usual can also be a sign of an underlying medical condition. That is why it is necessary to get a proper diagnosis done to know the low libido causes.
In addition, low sex drive in men can be triggered due to physical or mental issues; not getting treated in time can lead to sexual problems like erectile dysfunction and infertility issues.
Experiencing low libido does not endanger an individual with any life-threatening medical complications, but it significantly lowers the quality of life.
Many men often avoid getting treated for health complications like erectile dysfunction, reduced libido, etc., due to the stigma attached to men’s sexual health. One research estimates that one in ten men face at least some sort of sexual health problem.
Spreading more awareness about men’s sexual health can make it easy to diagnose sexual problems like lowered libido, erectile dysfunction or anorgasmia.
What Causes Libido to Drop?
A decrease in sex drive(Libido) can often be attributed to several factors that can be physical or mentally linked. Experiencing such sexual problems often causes trouble in maintaining a healthy intimate relationship with a spouse.
However, knowing what exactly is lowering the sex drive can help an individual in finding the right medical help needed. Some of the main causes of low sex drive in men are as follows.
Low testosterone levels:
Testosterone is a male sex hormone that is found in produced in the testicles. Testosterone plays a crucial role in puberty in terms of muscles and the sexual development of men.
If the testosterone levels in the body are lowered far enough, then men can experience a decline in sex drive(libido). Testosterone deficiency has also been linked with a disease termed male hypogonadism, in which the body doesn’t produce enough testosterone hormone.
Treatment options like testosterone replacement therapy should be taken only after consulting a doctor.
Medicinal side effects:
Certain medications can cause the adverse side effect of lowered libido. Medications like antidepressants, antipsychotics, beta-blockers, and ACE inhibitors can trigger symptoms of reduced libido.
It is advised to consult a medical professional before taking such medications. Knowing the possible side effects of medicines before taking them can help avoid sexual problems like low libido.
Stress, anxiety or depression:
Men who face mental health issues like stress, anxiety, and depression are at an increased risk of facing problems in maintaining healthy intimate relationships with their spouses.
Such mental factors lead to reduced energy, low interest in daily life activities, and a significant impact on sex their sex life.
Sexual dysfunction:
Men diagnosed with sexual dysfunction like erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, and delayed ejaculation are at a high risk of experiencing low sex drive.
The medical condition of anorgasmia can also make it hard for men to maintain an adequate level of sex drive during intercourse.
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Age Factor:
Though the sex drive does decrease as one grows older due to the low levels of testosterone, this might not happen with every individual. Other factors like health complications, relationship trouble, stress and anxiety are more prone to make a man experience reduced sex drive.
Chronic disease:
Men who live with chronic diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes or cancer can face numerous challenges in maintaining healthy sexual relationships with a spouse.
One can consult a general physician if such chronic diseases lower the sex drive.
Sleep disorders:
Men who are diagnosed with a sleep disorder like sleep apnea often face a loss of sex drive.
Research suggests that men who don’t get enough sleep may have low testosterone levels in the body, due to which one might face difficulty in maintaining their sex drive.
Relationship problems:
Men who have a troubled relationship with their spouse due to issues like infidelity, lack of open communication, boundary violations, unfulfilled expectations, and loss of intimacy are more likely to experience lowered libido.
Unresolved issues among spouses can often lead to divorce, separation, or breaking up. It is wise to undertake a couples counselling session to resolve such issues.
Substance abuse:
Abusing drugs like alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and other illicit drugs have often been linked with experiencing lowered libido.
Consumption of such drugs over a period of time reduces the testosterone levels in the body, due to which one might find it hard to maintain the sex drive during sexual intercourse.
BOTTOM LINE:
Lowered libido can occur for several reasons, most of which can be dealt with by proper treatment. People facing relationship difficulties and experiencing anxiety and depression can consult a mental health expert to provide couples counselling or therapy.
At the same time, low testosterone and other relevant complications like erectile dysfunction can be managed through medication like Testosterone Gel(Cernos), Testosterone Capsules(Cernos Soft Gelatin), Sildenafil Citrate (Cenforce), Tadalafil (Vidalista), or Vardenafil (Levitra).
Getting the necessary medical treatment can help you resolve such unhealthy complications. Low libido and related symptoms should be treated through the consultation of a medical expert. One should always avoid self-medicating the symptoms of low libido.
