Good & Healthy Relationship Advice & Tips

Just as some men are combatting erectile dysfunction, so are some women battling with low libido.

This undoubtedly is taking a toll on them in the bedroom.

A random interaction with some women on social media revealed that low sexual desire is a chronic problem that interferes with their quality of life, especially those working at the corporate level.

Some of the women conferred with The Mirror that this condition is triggering trouble in their relationships, causing them much pain as their partners migrate to the beds of younger women in the tertiary institutions and their offices.

Basically, low libido is referred to as female sexual interest or arousal disorder. A reduction in sexual desire has been associated with low testosterone levels in men.

Likewise, women in the menopausal transition sometimes report a decrease in sex drive.

Multiple types of chronic illnesses and chronic pain can also lead to a decrease in sex drive, likely through a combination of physical effects of the disease as well as the psychological stress associated with a chronic illness.

Add stressors resulting from the rise of the dual-earner or two-income household, together with the corresponding work-life of contemporary women, and you have a higher potential for low libido.

Naaki, a banker, disclosed that her job schedule is so stressful that she leaves the bank after 8 p.m. each day and gets home around 10 p.m. due to the heavy traffic to her home.

“I can barely even take my bath, let alone have the urge for sex because I have to put things in place for the children to go to school the next day. Unfortunately, this hectic routine has affected my libido so I haven’t had sex with my husband in the last three years although we live in the same house,” she recounted.

Dzifa, who describes herself as a victim of low libido, is a breadwinner so spends long hours in her office. After her loaded schedule as a Sales and Marketing Executive, she ends up in church and on weekends goes for lectures at a law school.

“I believe this loaded schedule is not making the bedroom attractive. The urge is simply not there, no matter how I try. I discussed this with my closest friend and she advised that I go on vacation with my partner, which we did.

“We went to Dubai last September, yet I could not make my man happy. My biggest headache is how to approach a health professional,” she mentioned.

According to Dr Lamisi Anaaba, a Sex Therapist, loss of sexual desire, known in medical terms as hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), is the most common form of sexual dysfunction among women of all ages. Dr Anaaba explained that a recent study showed that nearly one-third of women aged 18 to 59 suffer from a lost interest in sex.

“Unlike erectile dysfunction, which is men's main sexual complaint, women's biggest sexual problem is caused by a combination of both mental and physical factors which are not likely to be cured by merely using a pill,” she explained.

“Fatigue is one of the common causes of low libido in women. Most young women these days want to sit in plush cars and stay in luxury apartments while they travel around the world; therefore, they end up stressing themselves.

“Your libido might be affected since stress happens in your brain on thought level and these thoughts are what make your body go into high gear,” he pointed out.

Dr Anaaba said “this happens because you are constantly focusing on your thoughts and not paying any attention to the signals your body is sending you as these are being oppressed by your busy mind.”

She recommended that “it is always good for women to reduce their stress levels to enhance performance and also see a medical expert for some medication to bring back the fire in them this New Year