The ones who have thyroid disorders know thyroid hormone affects pretty much every cell in the body. It isn’t any shock that this includes sexual desire and function. Underactive thyroid will cause vaginal dryness, which leads to discomfort and pain during sexual intercourse. No one wants to have sex when it isn’t comfortable!
The production of thyroid hormone is tied to DHEA, a precursor to testosterone. That means that hypo and hyperthyroidism alike may lead to testosterone level dysfunction. Also, thyroid disease carries with it, symptoms of apathy, fatigue, as well as increased feelings of stress. Thereby, it is vital for women who have thyroid problems to be offered more for low libido than a recommendation of “relax more”. It is a physical part of their condition.
As I see patients who have thyroid conditions who are still suffering symptoms, even on thyroid replacement, we assess other factors such as active hormone (T3), conversion, and downstream hormonal effects which may result from years of being out of range.
Medication side effects
Pain medications, birth control pills, allergy medications, blood pressure medications, antidepressants are among the main offenders within this category. Each of those may cause a diminished sexual drive for several reasons. It isn’t always practical to simply stop necessary meds cold turkey to get it on, so I oftentimes circumvent this for my patients.
If a non-necessary medicine is assumed to be the culprit, like an OTC anti-histamine, we often can discover a natural replacement which manages symptoms without all of the unwanted side effects.
Hormone change or imbalance
Our hormones are what permit us to feel sex desire. Without that perfect balance, we’ll suffer a loss of libido. It’s common for women to suffer low testosterone, especially after menopause. Menopause also can cause symptoms of painful intercourse and vaginal dryness.
For females of child-bearing age, I see estrogen dominance becoming increasingly common. Most of us spend a long period of time utilizing birth control pills, yet they do have long-term hormonal effects for most. Also, I consistently see estrogen dominance after pregnancies. Any time we have huge hormonal swings or suppression, the body may overcompensate. Without the right sex hormone ratio, we may see major symptoms, which includes changes in sex drive.
Adrenal fatigue
The condition of adrenal fatigue is a lot more than just being tired. Adrenal fatigue comes on from chronic stress or overwork. We talked about DHEA with thyroid function above, yet DHEA is even more closely tied with your adrenals. It is produced within the adrenals and is a typical lab we use to check on adrenal function. It’s a precursor to testosterone; therefore, it is obvious that it may lead to a lower libido.
Also, adrenal fatigue causes those symptoms of fatigue and stress to be exacerbated. Fatigue and stress are regarded as causes of decreased sexual drive for obvious reasons. Nobody wants to do it when they are tired! It is so very important to support the adrenals in order to feel good.
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