Not feeling “in the mood” lately, or for a while? Men struggling with low sex drive are often hesitant to talk about this issue because they feel like they are the only ones. Not true! Low sex drive is a common issue for men of all ages, and it’s caused by a variety of different factors that are almost all treatable. At our clinic, we help countless men of all ages regain their sex drive - leading to happy patients, happier partners, and a better quality of life!
Why have I lost my sex drive?
Lots of things cause low libido in men. Sexual desire is never constant, it ebbs and flows. If it didn’t, we’d never get anything done! But when libido dips drastically and stays low for a long period of time, that’s when low sex drive is considered a medical issue worthy of attention and treatment.
Physical, mental, and environmental factors can affect the sexual desire in both men and women. Some common causes of low sex drive in men include:
- Low testosterone
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Substance abuse
- Overuse of alcohol
- Prescription medicines
- Too much or too little exercise
Problem: Low testosterone leads to low libido
Nearly half of men over the age of 40 suffer from low testosterone. Once a man has reached adulthood, his testosterone level will decrease by about 14% every 10 years. That leaves most men over 40 with about half the amount of testosterone they had in their virile 20s. By the time most men reach age 80, only 5% of their peak testosterone remains.
Testosterone is the hormone that drives sexual desire. Less testosterone equals lower libido.
The condition that causes low testosterone is called male hypogonadism, and it is very common in men over the age of 40. In fact, it is estimated to affect up to 5 million men in the United States alone.
Losing testosterone is natural. But symptoms of low T, including a lost sex drive, don’t have to be accepted as a non-negotiable part of the aging process.
Solution: Hormone replacement therapy treats low sex drive in men
If it’s low T that’s causing your libido to fall, male hormone replacement therapy can help. Testosterone replacement therapy is available via patches, shots, gels, and pellets.
To find out if the cause of your low sex drive is low testosterone, your MedStudio provider will talk to you about your symptoms and medical history to rule out other conditions that can mimic low T. Then, you’ll undergo blood testing or semen analysis to see if you’re suffering from low testosterone. If you end up being diagnosed with low T, a custom male hormone replacement therapy regimen will be prescribed to restore your testosterone levels and help you regain your lost sex drive.
Problem: Stress kills a man’s sex drive
There’s a stereotype that a man should “always be in the mood.” That’s not fair to men, and completely inaccurate from a medical perspective. Stress is a killer of sex drive for both men and women. And in our fast-paced modern world, with endless deadlines, gridlock traffic, 24-hour news, and never-ending to-do lists, it’s no wonder that so many men suffer from low libido caused by stress.
When under stress, the body prepares itself for a “fight or flight” response. It gets ready to fight off an attacker or run from a charging bear. Though we’re not likely to be running from bears, your body sees the everyday stresses of life in the same way. To get into threat management mode, the human body must redirect energy and resources from other bodily systems - like digestion, the immune system, and the reproductive system - because, at the moment, those systems aren’t mission-critical.
Stress that’s chronic can derail a main’s sex drive for weeks, months, or even years. Over time, the relationship stress caused by low sex drive can compound on itself and exacerbate the original problem - creating a self-sustaining cycle of too much stress/too little sex.
Solution: Reduce stress
It’s easier said than done, but limiting the amount of stress in your life can do wonders for your bedroom game. And chances are, if you’re so stressed that you don’t want or can’t enjoy sex, it’s negatively affecting other parts of your health as well. Stress is linked to all sorts of illnesses, from gastrointestinal distress to cancer.
See if you could fit any of these stress-relievers into your life:
- Trade your stressful job for one that lets you “leave work at work” at the end of the day.
- Leave a toxic relationship.
- Spend more time outdoors in nature - a proven stress-reliever.
- Take up relaxing practices like yoga or meditation.
- Identify the people in your life who stress you out and spend less time with them.
- Move to a home with less traffic noise.
- Get more physical exercise.
- Say “no” to extra commitments.
- Spend more time doing things you love - you deserve it, not that deserving it is a prerequisite.
Problem: Medications are killing my sex drive
Certain prescription medications are notorious for inhibiting sex drive in men. There is a long list of anti-anxiety medications, blood pressure pills, and even some heartburn medicines that list “sexual side effects” on their brochures. Your chance of experiencing low sex drive due to medications becomes more pronounced the more medications you take.
Solution: Find different treatments
The list of medications available for today’s ills is long and ever-expanding. If you notice that one or more of your current prescriptions is killing your sex drive, talk to your doctor and see if there’s another option available, without the sexual side effects. For some conditions, you may even be able to forgo medicines altogether and rely on lifestyle changes to find relief. Of course, always talk to your doctor before switching or eliminating medications from your daily routine.
Ready to regain your sex drive?
MedStudio can help you pinpoint the cause of your low sex drive and help you find relief. Schedule your appointment today.