Low sex drive and the pill

Here is my experience...

Long time back when I was first getting intimate with my dh, I was on nuvaring, which is a hormonal birth control that goes inside and is replaced once a month.

I felt totally wonky, cranky, out of it, stressed etc. My body stopped responding positively to sex, even though my brain wanted it. A male doctor told me that my low libido probably had a lot to do with external stress.... like moving out of my mom's house to go live with dh, fights with his family, etc. However, as a woman, I felt it was more than that and the hormones from the contraception was in fact messing with my body. It took about 4-6 months after I stopped using nuvaring for me to go back to feeling like normal. Even though I didn't feel like sex somedays, I noticed that once I got started, I got a little better feeling. Also, if you are used to getting the big O but can't right now, just tell yourself you will enjoy sex with your husband, with or without a climax. Basically, take the pressure off of yourself. Probably now you are doubting yourself so much, that the stress itself could be holding you back!!

But he did have a point.... stress and sometimes just aging itself, can screw up your libido... even if you are still very in love with your partner. I have heard libido is not a constant thing in life, and can go up and down and up and down, daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly!

Then I switched to Yaz, which is a birth control PILL. Unfortunately, the day I took it I had the worst headache of my life. I guess it could be a coincidence, but I feel it must have been the pill.

So then I switched to Loestrin24fe. I LOVE it! It does not mess with my mood at all. As a human, yes I do get cranky, but I think a little crankiness is part of life and can't all be blamed on birth control. My libido is normal now. Some days I feel like jumping on my dh and doing it right then and there, other days I could take it or leave it, and some days I just don't want to be touched. Overall though, I'm extremely happy with the level of pregnancy protection the pill offers, the ligher periods, and the fact that I still feel like 'me', even with all the hormones in the pill.

Even I went through a time when I was so confused about the birth control options, so I hope my story helps you a little. It's all about finding a method of birth control that allows you to enjoy your sexuality without fear of pregnancy, yet maintain the essence of who you are, without losing your personality to a pill!

Good luck!

 

Oral contraceptives and low sex drive is one area , which the entire Medical Fraternity is reluctant to talk about, at least for the past two decades.

We knew , for long, that the progesterone containing pills are known to lower a woman's sex drive. (Most pills contain progesterone and it is essential for the successful contraception). I am a male. In my own love life, my wife suffered due to low sex drive. She was on oral contraceptives at that time.

As one woman, has put it in the reply, sex drive of a woman is never constant, even when she is not on any pills. It depends on her overall well being ( a simple bloated abdomen/ a mild headache can kill the libido), her stress in job etc, her work load in house..........and more importantly, at what phase of menstrual cylce she is in. The last one week , prior to menstrual bleeding, progesterone level peaks in blood and this brings the sex drive to its lowest. Nothing, I mean , nothing in this world can fire up the dwindling sex drive, for a woman, when her period is approaching.

So, in a given woman, before labelling oral pills as the culprit behind low sex drive, one has to search for the above said other reasons too. If you are sure, the other factors are not present in your life and yet you are going through absent sex drive and you are on pill...........then yes, it is recommended you stop pills........and try some other method of contraception. If your man is comfortable with condoms, they are the best. but, unfortunately most men are not comfortable with condoms. Despite the repeated claims of condom manufacturers , that condoms do not reduce the sensuality of sexual touch, most men, feel the contrary.

If your man is one among them, then condoms also will not suit you. Then the next best is, 'today'........it is a vaginal pessary. Buy a 'today' packet and read the literature yourself.

It is a woman's forum. I think, I am not supposed to talk too much about the nitty gritties of each contraceptive, with relation to love making. With today, your problem will be solved.

Your man should be extremely tolerant. Because, in the bed, when a man sees, his woman , not getting turned on during love making, it is an ultimate turn-off to him. The best sex to a man comes when the woman with him in the bed , enjoys it to the maximum....( men do not close their eyes, for this simple reason)

So, take your partner into confidence. Be frank with him that you r participating in the act, despite your low desire.......and give him a hint that during the act you may not get turned on. And request him to accept this for some time. With a prior information, a non responding woman, will not be a turn off to a man, if the man really cares for her.

Hope the above information is useful to you. Please pardon me, if any of the words / expression above, sounds unparliamentary to any one.