How to Discuss a Low Sex Drive with Your Doctor

Having little to no desire for sexual relations with your partner can be devastating to a relationship. It is important to get to the root of this problem as quickly as possible to avoid irreversibly damaging your relationship with your spouse or partner. Discussing the matter with your physician is an important step in solving this difficult and frustrating problem.

Lack of Libido

While both men and women do suffer from a lack of libido, or sex drive, the problem is more prevalent among women. The American Medical Associated believed approximately 2 - 3 million women suffer from "Female Sexual Arousal Disorder. Women who suffer from this lack of sexual desire often have no difficulty achieving orgasm when they do engage in sexual relations; they simply have no desire to participate in sexual activities with their spouse or partners. In some cases this lack of sex drive is a temporary condition that will right itself over time, but in other cases psychosexual or medical intervention is necessary. Learning how to discuss this intimate matter with your doctor is the first step in overcoming it.

Causes of a Low Sex Drive

When discussing your low sex drive with your personal physician, be prepared to answer questions about your medical history, mental health and personal situation. Common causes of low sex drive include Anemia, alcohol abuse, hormone abnormalities, diseases such as diabetes, drug abuse, child birth, hyperprolactinaemia (an overactive pituitary gland) and prescription drugs. Prior to visiting with your physician, review these common causes and see how they fit into your current situation. Any preexisting conditions and medication you are on should be brought to your doctor's attention. The problem may be a simple as a drug interaction that can be easily cured by adjusting your medication.

Psychological Causes

Once the typical physical causes of a low sex drive have been considered and found not be the cause, most physicians will want to discuss your mental health and current situation. This is often the most difficult part of figuring out why you have a low sex drive. While some common psychological causes, like depression and stress, are easy to deal with others are more deeply rooted and extremely difficult to discuss. Past abuse, molestation or rape may have caused your low sex drive, even if you previously had a healthy sex drive. Childhood hang-ups and latent lesbianism are two other common causes of low sex drive that most women struggle to discuss even with their personal physician. A difficult or struggling relationship with your partner or spouse may also lie at the root of the problem. Be aware your doctor will want to discuss these intimate and often embarrassing problems with you. Be prepared to be honest with your doctor. In this case, honesty really can make the difference. If the problem is rooted in a deep psychological way, therapy and some medications are available to help you.

Once you make the decisions to discuss your low sex drive with your doctor, it is important that you are ready to do so in a completely honest way. Be prepared to discuss your medical history in detail and bring any medications and information about preexisting conditions with you. Most importantly recognize the fact that your doctor is bound by confidentially and anything you tell him about past abuse, rape or sexual hang-ups will be between the two of you. You doctor may very well be able to offer a solution to this embarrassing and difficult problem.