Science has long paid a great deal of attention to the dire predicament of men losing their sex drive or their capacity to perform sexually. However, with taboos increasingly becoming irrelevant, greater focus is finally being invested in understanding women's sexual health. What has come to light in the past few decades are two things: First, low libido is more common in women than their male counterparts. And second, the reason for this is because the female libido is far more complicated than the male libido. Unlike in males, waning libidos in females are more difficult to diagnose. This is because of their ambiguous signals and because
female sex drive is influenced by both physical and emotional factors.
The official name assigned to distressingly low libidos is Hypoactive Sexual Desire (HSD), and it invites much debate regarding females. Partially, this is because, unlike men, female sexual responses are not necessarily projected in physical forms. Whereas lack of arousal or sexual dysfunctions in men interfere with sexual performance (such impotence or premature ejaculation), females with low libidos are still capable of doing "it", even if physical signs of arousal, such as erect nipples or increased blood flow to the genitalia, lessen. But a dampened libido is rarely assumed by women to signify permanence. After all, attempting to quantify what constitutes a low sex drive is impossible as even a healthy drive fluctuates by the influence of external and internal factors.
Physiologically speaking, there are many processes that women’s bodies endure that males don't. This explains, at least partially, the differences between their overall sex drives, as well as why women's libidos are more likely to fluctuate more greatly than their more randy counterparts. Hormonal changes are one example. During menopause, estrogen levels drop affecting both the health of vaginal tissue as well as overall interest in sex due to a coinciding drop in testosterone. Also, pregnancy and post-childbirth are accompanied by hormonal changes. Compound that with the exhaustion and situational changes of those times, and sexual libido often suffers.
Similar to men, there are physical causes that can influence the sex drive in women. Illness or medical diseases impact libidos, particularly cancers that contribute to infertility which affects the psyche and physical desires of women.
Anything that affects the physical health of females, such as poor eating habits, lack of sleep, obesity, anorexia, and lack of physical exercise share a correlation with decreased sexual drive. As is the case for low libido in men, medication, alcohol, and drugs all manipulate the proper functions of the body and hamper the sexual appetites.
But the problems do not have to be physical to be real. Many psychologists accuse the psychosexual of having the greatest influence on the libido of women.
Among the psychological influences on low libido include depression, stress, relationship issues, and low self-esteem over body image. Psychosexual theory asserts that the female libido can be profoundly impacted by the past, such as a history of sexual abuse during childhood. Worse yet, the psychological can begin to influence the biological as anxieties towards sex are believed to be a key cause to vaginismus which causes the vagina to become tense by the involuntary contraction of surrounding muscles during intercourse.
The low libido in women is often understated because it is viewed as fluctuating and inconsistent, unlike males. To a degree, that is true. But it is rarely dealt with properly. More often, it is not discussed at all.
Exactly like males though, the key remedy is a balance between the physical and the mental. For women, the emotional health is as essential to sexual health as physical health.
Labels: awareness, libido, relationships, sex, women's health
Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment
Depression is not "one size fits all," particularly when it comes to the genders. Not only are women more prone to depression than men, but the causes of female depression and even the pattern of symptoms are often different.Many factors contribute to the unique picture of depression in women-from reproductive hormones to social pressures to the female response to stress. Learning about these factors can help you minimize your risk of depression and treat it more.
Understanding depression in women
If you’re feeling sad, guilty, tired, and just generally “down in the dumps,” you may be suffering from major depression.
According to the Nathional Mental Health Association:
- Approximately 12 million women in the United States experience clinical depression each year.
- About one in every eight women can expect to develop clinical depression during their lifetime.
Signs and symptoms of depression in women
The symptoms of depression in women are the same as those for major depression. Common complaints include: Depressed mood Loss of interest or pleasure in activities you used to enjoy:
- Feelings of guilt, hopelessness and worthlessness
- Suicidal thoughts or recurrent thoughts of death
- Sleep disturbance (sleeping more or sleeping less)
- Appetite and weight changes
- Difficulty concentrating
- Lack of energy and fatigue
Differences between male and female depression
Although the signs and symptoms of depression are the same for both men and women, women tend to experience certain symptoms more often than men. For example, seasonal affective disorder—depression in the winter months due to lower levels of sunlight—is more common in women. Also, women are more likely to experience the symptoms of atypical depression.
In atypical depression, rather than sleeping less, eating less, and losing weight, the opposite is seen: sleeping excessively, eating more (especially carbohydrates), and gaining weight. Feelings of guilt associated with depression are also more prevalent and pronounced in women. Women also have a higher incidence of thyroid problems. Since hypothyroidism can cause depression, this medical problem should always be ruled out by a physician in women who are depressed.
On a personal note
I have gone through teen depression, post partum depression and have lived in what I would qualify as major depression for the past few years of my life. I have been called a drama queen, a baby, a whiner, bitter, angry, a bitch, etc. I have been told while dealing with post partum in a very messy relationship that I was using my daughter (2nd baby) as a crutch. While dealing with depression hearing all of the criticism and hurtful words being directed towards you or even an annoyed look is the equivalentof being kicked in the ribs while you have you face in the dirt. Not cool. Depression is something that I've been dealing with for so many years and have gone untreated for it as I refuse to become dependant of nay chemical drug, medicinal or not. I've seen what it has done to my mother and it has been anything but pleasent. Before my way of dealing with all of these intense emotions I was feeling as a youth I used to write alot. Alot of poetry, all very angry and depressive poems. That was my own support system for myself as I have parents that grew up in an era and a country where the term "depression" was not heard or known of. I went from a rebellious phase in my teen years where my relationship with my parents was anything but desirable and from that I went into a relationship with the father of my kids which looking at it now, being a more seasoned woman, I can say has been disastrous. But here we are, seperated, but insistent on trying to keep it together. I know its probably doing me more harm then good and perhaps that day will come where I can just let go but until then it just seems like I'm in a sink hole and am just watching myself sink bit by bit. It is my hope that in writing here on this blog a little lightbulb will suddenly go on that will allow me to gain control of my life in a way I never have. A way that will let me grow as a mother, a career woman, a student, a human being.
Labels: awareness, rant, reflection, women's health
