Low Progesterone and Sex Drive: 5 Tips to Understanding Female Desire

When you are with your partner who is aroused, you want to be able to reciprocate those feelings. As a female, want and desire can be complicated. When something is wrong inside, the lust leaves whether you want it to happen or not.

How come you are experiencing low sex drive and what can you do to fix it? You should first understand the relationship with estrogen, progesterone, and sex drive. Keep reading to learn all about females hormones and what factors influence female desire (and the lack of it).

1. The Relationship With Phases and Age 

A woman starts to become aware of their body and have an interest in sex around the time they enter puberty. When girls are around 9-15, the pituitary glands produce FSH and LH in large quantities. These hormones then stimulate estrogen and progesterone. 

This leads to a change in the overall shape of their body as the breasts grow and experience a wider pelvis. At this time, females will experience their first period which will continue each month. 

Sexual desire for females is often higher during menses, especially during ovulation, because of the high rise in estrogen and testosterone. When a woman is pregnant, sexual desire also changes due to hormonal changes (not just because of the baby). During the first and second trimester, most women still crave and desire sex. 

When a female enters menopause, they no longer have a period and experience a decline in the production of their sex hormones. Many women notice they have a decline in sexual desire and may deal with vaginal dryness. During all phases of a woman's life hormones affecting sex drive include estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.

Estrogen and Sex Drive

Estrogen levels must be balanced in order for women to have a healthy libido. When estrogen levels are too high or too low, women can lack sexual desire and experience other unwanted symptoms. It's important to check your hormone levels. 

Progesterone and Sex Drive

Progesterone is also important for female sex drive. Higher levels are associated with PMS symptoms as well as a decline in sexual desire. Low levels of progesterone increase estrogen levels and have the same effect. A balance between the two is important in maintaining proper libido. 

2. Hormonal Imbalance Affects Female Desire

The main hormones that affect sex drive are progesterone and estrogen. Hormonal imbalance and lead to a range of symptoms aside from low libido. Common signs you may have imbalanced hormones are: 

• Irregular periods 
• Night sweats 
• Weight gain 
• Vaginal dryness
• Acne
• Excess facial and body hair 
• Tender breasts 

If you are not getting a period when you should, you must speak to a doctor. Other reasons for hormone imbalance include ovarian cancer, stress, birth control, hormone replacement therapy, and PCOS. You should also speak with a physician if you suspect you may have any of these conditions. 

3. Psyche and Emotions Play a Strong Role

When a man is attracted to someone, it is mostly physical. When a female is attracted to someone, it leans more toward emotions. A woman can get "turned off" and lack arousal when their emotional needs or desires are not met. 

The interest in sex and the ability to orgasm can disappear when women are not emotionally stimulated. It is important to speak with your partner about things that do arouse you and find ways to help increase female libido. Relationship issues can also be a problem in low sex drive, and resolving the problem is important. 

Sometimes emotional issues are due to internal problems like depression, stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, and poor body image. 

4. Medical and Physical Factors Can Affect Sexual Desire

Physical problems can also affect sexual desire in women. There may be physical barriers that cause pain during sex. This reduces the desire for intimacy. For example, a female may have excess skin on the labia (and may need labiaplasty) or may still need to heal following surgery. 

Medical factors also play a role in low sex drive. Some women who have conditions like high blood pressure, cancer, arthritis, heart complications, or other diseases may not want sex.

Depending on the medical condition a woman has, they may lack feelings of lust because of pain. Other times the condition they have to affect their hormones. This will later affect libido. 

5. Alterations in Female Desire Can Occur With Medication 

There are certain medications that can alter female sex drive too. The most common medications that are known to affect libido are antidepressants (particularly SSRIs), blood pressure medication, and oral contraceptives. 

When you are on medication, you should talk with your doctor when you notice a decline in sexual desire. The doctor will look into other types of medication to give you. They may also suggest other methods to do based on the symptoms you have.

For example, they may recommend vaginal lubricants if you are dealing with dryness. There are also certain foods and supplements you can take to boost libido when it is low. It is best to talk with your first before taking anything, especially when you are on other medications. 

It's Possible to Boost Female Desire 

Low libido can be a short-term, limited problem or a longstanding one depending on the reason you have it. Problems with sexual desire are related to age, hormones, emotions, medical conditions, and certain medications.

Estrogen, progesterone and sex drive are very closely related. If you have a problem with your female hormones, it can display itself as symptoms. You should always correct the underlying reason first.

Boosting female libido is also possible with supplements formulated for women. If you have any questions related to using supplementation to correct low sex drive, contact us.