The answer is: yes and… no. If you feel like the part of you that wanted sex seems to have gone on an extended vacation, or if you feel like you never want sex and you can’t figure out why, it may be that you are missing hormones, your other medications are affecting you or something physiological just isn’t working right. In those case, there is often little you can do to make yourself want and enjoy sex without addressing the medical piece. But at the end of the day medical interventions are just that. They are not a marriage counselor, sex educator or a love potion. Other treatments for low libido include:
- Hormones: We think of hormones as the “base coat paint” for sexual functioning. If women’s levels are absent or too low, often nothing sexual seems to work.
- Other Medications: We may suggest drugs that help with blood flow, medications that help with neurotransmitters in the brain, or we may recommend an anti-depressant.
- Devices: We may recommend a particular product or vibrator and explain exactly why we are recommending its use.
- Counseling: This is a critical part of the work we do. Too many physicians give women testosterone and send them home. We work with women closely to gauge the impact of the testosterone on desire. We will only begin to give women practical suggestions, exercises and “homework” when we feel that the testosterone is beginning to work in their body and their interest has improved to the point where they can be successful.
We know it can be confusing to figure this out yourself and we know from experience that women have a lot of questions, so we’ve created this blogcast just for you! During a 48 hour period we’ll be personally fielding your questions. We hope you’ll use this opportunity to write to us with whatever questions you might have. If our moderator thinks it’s a useful question for our general audience, your question will be posted and answered by one of our experts. Using our Center’s unique blend of medical expertise, perspectives and tips from sex therapists, 15 years of experience, warmth, humor, and understanding, we’ll try to address your issues and concerns. Please join us.