Hypoactive Sexual Desire
Treatment of Low Sexual Desire
Physical causes of low libidos, such as changes in endocrine hormones, must be ruled out first. Most often, the causes of low sexual desire will not be revealed by medical or laboratory tests.
Sometimes, the best treatment for low sexual desire in either partner is counseling—to resolve overt conflicts, hidden resentments, power struggles, or other interpersonal barriers to erotic interest. Since depression is a frequent cause of diminished desire in both men and women, treatment of depression is another important path to the resolution of desire problems. Psychological therapies, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy , may not only be more effective than pharmacotherapy in relieving depression, but they also do not interfere with libido, as many psychoactive drugs do.
There is no magic pill for restoring sexual desire in women, nor is there likely to be. Perhaps the most effective route is educating both men and women about how women actually become aroused. One treatment of hypoactive desire in women that is proving highly effective utilizes mindfulness to connect bodily sensations of arousal with psychological arousal.
Among men, a drop in testosterone levels can profoundly impact sexual desire, and for some men, treatment with testosterone may help restore desire.
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