The female libido has long been a source of mystery.
Children, exhaustion, built up resentment and indeed life in general, are all superficial factors that can affect your sex drive.
After children, many couples fall into a toxic pattern that Dr Rosie King calls “the pursuer distance cycle” – where men start to chase their partners for sex, which causes the women to try and distance themselves, which can create a vicious cycle which further kills a woman’s sex drive.
There is also evidence that suggests that monogamy is one of the biggest killers of the female libido. A German study of committed couples found desire drops off much faster in women than in men.
While exhaustion and complacency may play a role in the bedroom ebb, there can also be more biological issues at play, but often due to shame there is a lack of conversation surrounding dropping desire. This silence means many women are unaware that there are good medical reasons this may be occurring and effective treatment options available to help her get back that loving feeling.
When Catalyst’s science reporter, Jonica Newby, noticed her own waning libido it affected her greatly.
“I’m in my mid-40s, and always enjoyed sex and could rely on my own body to respond, and then two years ago that start to fade. It got to the point it was really, really upsetting – I felt I was way too young for my body to start shutting down.”
Jonica decided to not only get to the bottom of her lessened sexual desire, and physical responsiveness, but to make an episode of ABC TV’s Catalyst about it.
After some blood analysis Jonica’s test results highlighted a distinct lessening in her testosterone levels.
By the time a woman is in her 40s she has half the testosterone she had in her 20s, so many women find their libido dwindling well before menopause, and they put it down to married life and simply put up with it.
Endocrinologist at Monash University, Professor Susan Davis sees a lot of women who have a lowered level of testosterone.
“It’s not abnormal. It’s a part of reproductive aging,” says Prof. Davis.
Testosterone is commonly known as the male hormone but it plays a strong role in female sexuality.
“At the middle of the cycle when a woman ovulates, testosterone levels go up and that’s why women often say that around mid-cycle they‘re feeling more aroused and interested,” says Prof. Davis.
“With respect to sexuality in women testosterone has affects in the brain. Sexual thoughts, fantasies, motivation, but what is often not recognised is testosterone is a blood vessel dilator. It in fact dilates blood vessels in the genital area and increases the capacity for a woman to have an orgasm.”
“I decided to try testosterone,” says Catalyst’s Jonica of her chosen hormone treatment. “Bottom line is testosterone did the trick and frankly, you won’t be able to get me off it.”
To see the entire episode The Female Sex Drive tune into Catalyst tonight on ABC TV at 8pm.
