Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentCopingSummary
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Coping
Summary
Hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) is a type of sexual dysfunction that can prevent someone from experiencing sexual satisfaction. This condition causes the absence or lack of sexual desire, leading to relationship problems with your partner.
Some people experience lifelong HSDD and for others, it may happen later in life, even if they previously had a healthy and fulfilling sex life. Though it can happen to anyone, HSDD is especially common in females, occurring in up to one-third of adult women in the United States.
This article discusses the signs of HSDD and what can cause it. It also looks at the medications and lifestyle changes that can help.
Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin
How Do You Know if You Have Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder?
HSDD is an extremely common disorder but is infrequently diagnosed. Some of the symptoms of HSDD include:
Many men and women may have a low libido. What classifies the condition as HSDD is the absence of sexual thoughts and fantasies and lack of sexual desire, leading to distress in your relationship with a partner.
A low libido without a relationship conflict with a sexual partner can be just that without a diagnosis of HSDD.
The Sexual Response Cycle in Females and Males
What Causes Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder?
There are many physical and mental hurdles that can impact sex drive, over time resulting in HSDD. A study published in theJournal of the American Medical Associationfound that sexual dysfunction resulting in HSDD is more prevalent in both women and men who are in poor physical and mental health.
Hormonal Changes
There are also a number of hormonal shifts that can cause HSDD for women down the line, such asmenopause. One study found that low sexual desire ranged from 26.7% in premenopausal women to 52.4% of naturally menopausal women, making the disorder twice as prevalent in women once they go through menopause. Other hormonal issues such as pregnancy and breastfeeding may also cause diminished sexual desire which can lead to HSDD.
Certain Medical Conditions
A number of medical conditions can also cause HSDD as a side effect, including:
Recently having or recovering from surgery, particularly any procedure related to your breasts or genital area, can affect your sexual function and desire for sex. This is especially true if you are dealing with body image issues from the procedure.
Asexual Spectrum: Defining Attraction and Orientation
Lifestyle
Your lifestyle may also be a factor in HSDD, particularly if you find yourself extremely fatigued at night after a busy day at work or caring for others like your children or aging parents. And while it’s enjoyable to have a glass of wine at the end of the day, too much alcohol at night can impact your sex drive. So can smoking which can decrease blood flow and cause you not to feel as aroused.
Even certain prescription medications, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, can lower your sex drive which may eventually lead to HSDD.
Last, your overall mental health and the health of your relationship can be a cause of HSDD. Anxiety, depression, body image issues, as well as previous sexual abuse or poor sexual experiences all play a part in your sex drive.
Communication issues or a disconnect with your partner can also cause your libido to wane, and if these issues aren’t being actively worked on together through therapy or other measures, over time HSDD can evolve from them.
Diagnosing Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder
The most important part of diagnosing HSDD is that you have to mention your lack of sexual desire to your healthcare provider. There are no external signs of HSDD, and your healthcare provider may or may not ask you about your sex drive at your annual physical exam, so it’s important to speak up if your decreased libido is causing you distress.
Once you’ve mentioned this, there are a number of tests your healthcare provider can do to help pinpoint the problem behind your lack of sexual desire. This includes a questionnaire about your sexual desire (often referred to as a Decreased Sexual Desire Screener) and running blood tests to check your hormone levels to see if there’s a medical condition causing HSDD such as a thyroid disorder, diabetes, or high cholesterol.
If you’re a woman, they will also recommend you make an appointment with your gynecologist, who will perform a physical exam to check forvaginal dryness, tissue thinning, or anything that may be causingvaginal painresulting in a low sexual desire.
For the mental or emotional causes linked to HSDD, your healthcare provider may refer you to a sex therapist who will be able to evaluate both you and possibly your partner in order to help treat the relationship or personal triggers that are causing HSDD and sexual distress.
What Are the Best Treatments for HSDD?
Once the cause of your HSDD is found, there are several ways to treat and manage it. The type of treatment you receive will depend on what other external factors have triggered and caused your HSDD. It may also be recommended that you receive multiple forms of treatment, such as counseling and medication.
The most popular forms of treatment include:
Can Women Take Viagra (Sildenafil) for Low Libido?
Coping With HSDD
Dealing with HSDD can be very lonely for both you and your partner. It may cause you to feel frustrated that you don’t feel as aroused as you once used to. Your partner may also feel rejected or undesirable in the relationship.
It’s important to keep in mind that HSDD is common and can be diagnosed as long as you’re willing to be candid about your sexual desire and relationship with your healthcare provider in order to get the help and treatment you need.
HSDD is also consistent with age. Previous research found that 67% of women in the United States aged 20 to 29 were distressed about their low sexual desire, while only 37% of 60 to 70-year-old women were distressed.
`
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Warnock JJ.Female hypoactive sexual desire disorder: epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment. CNS Drugs. 2002;16(11):745-53. doi:10.2165/00023210-200216110-00003.Laumann EO, Paik A, Rosen RC.Sexual dysfunction in the United States: prevalence and predictors. JAMA. 1999;281(6):537-44. doi:10.1001/jama.281.6.537.West SL, D’aloisio AA, Agans RP, Kalsbeek WD, Borisov NN, Thorp JM.Prevalence of low sexual desire and hypoactive sexual desire disorder in a nationally representative sample of US women. Arch Intern Med. 2008;168(13):1441-9. doi:10.1001/archinte.168.13.1441.Hayes RD, Dennerstein L, Bennett CM, Koochaki PE, Leiblum SR, Graziottin A.Relationship between hypoactive sexual desire disorder and aging. Fertil Steril. 2007;87(1):107-12. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2006.05.071.Additional ReadingLow sex drive in women. Mayo Clinic. Updated February 2018.Goldstein I, Kim N, Clayton A, et al.Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder.Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2017;92(1):114-128. doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2016.09.018Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder. American Sexual Health Association.
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Warnock JJ.Female hypoactive sexual desire disorder: epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment. CNS Drugs. 2002;16(11):745-53. doi:10.2165/00023210-200216110-00003.Laumann EO, Paik A, Rosen RC.Sexual dysfunction in the United States: prevalence and predictors. JAMA. 1999;281(6):537-44. doi:10.1001/jama.281.6.537.West SL, D’aloisio AA, Agans RP, Kalsbeek WD, Borisov NN, Thorp JM.Prevalence of low sexual desire and hypoactive sexual desire disorder in a nationally representative sample of US women. Arch Intern Med. 2008;168(13):1441-9. doi:10.1001/archinte.168.13.1441.Hayes RD, Dennerstein L, Bennett CM, Koochaki PE, Leiblum SR, Graziottin A.Relationship between hypoactive sexual desire disorder and aging. Fertil Steril. 2007;87(1):107-12. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2006.05.071.Additional ReadingLow sex drive in women. Mayo Clinic. Updated February 2018.Goldstein I, Kim N, Clayton A, et al.Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder.Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2017;92(1):114-128. doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2016.09.018Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder. American Sexual Health Association.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Warnock JJ.Female hypoactive sexual desire disorder: epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment. CNS Drugs. 2002;16(11):745-53. doi:10.2165/00023210-200216110-00003.Laumann EO, Paik A, Rosen RC.Sexual dysfunction in the United States: prevalence and predictors. JAMA. 1999;281(6):537-44. doi:10.1001/jama.281.6.537.West SL, D’aloisio AA, Agans RP, Kalsbeek WD, Borisov NN, Thorp JM.Prevalence of low sexual desire and hypoactive sexual desire disorder in a nationally representative sample of US women. Arch Intern Med. 2008;168(13):1441-9. doi:10.1001/archinte.168.13.1441.Hayes RD, Dennerstein L, Bennett CM, Koochaki PE, Leiblum SR, Graziottin A.Relationship between hypoactive sexual desire disorder and aging. Fertil Steril. 2007;87(1):107-12. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2006.05.071.
Warnock JJ.Female hypoactive sexual desire disorder: epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment. CNS Drugs. 2002;16(11):745-53. doi:10.2165/00023210-200216110-00003.
Laumann EO, Paik A, Rosen RC.Sexual dysfunction in the United States: prevalence and predictors. JAMA. 1999;281(6):537-44. doi:10.1001/jama.281.6.537.
West SL, D’aloisio AA, Agans RP, Kalsbeek WD, Borisov NN, Thorp JM.Prevalence of low sexual desire and hypoactive sexual desire disorder in a nationally representative sample of US women. Arch Intern Med. 2008;168(13):1441-9. doi:10.1001/archinte.168.13.1441.
Hayes RD, Dennerstein L, Bennett CM, Koochaki PE, Leiblum SR, Graziottin A.Relationship between hypoactive sexual desire disorder and aging. Fertil Steril. 2007;87(1):107-12. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2006.05.071.
Low sex drive in women. Mayo Clinic. Updated February 2018.Goldstein I, Kim N, Clayton A, et al.Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder.Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2017;92(1):114-128. doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2016.09.018Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder. American Sexual Health Association.
Low sex drive in women. Mayo Clinic. Updated February 2018.
Goldstein I, Kim N, Clayton A, et al.Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder.Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2017;92(1):114-128. doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2016.09.018
Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder. American Sexual Health Association.
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
