In February 1999, researchers published a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association entitled “Sexual Dysfunction in the United States.” Using data from the National Health and Social Life Survey, a study of adult sexual behavior in the United States, they calculated the incidence of various sexual problems among adults aged 18-59. Among the women in this representative sample, the number one problem was low libido, which affected almost one-third of survey respondents.

Why are so many women uninterested in sex? There are many possible reasons, both physical and psychological. In my experience as a physician who has treated thousands of women over the years, one underappreciated explanation for a woman’s loss of interest in sex is inattention by her husband or male companion, both in the bedroom and outside of it. A man who consistently performs intercourse to achieve his own pleasure, without giving attention to his wife’s feelings, will usually find a passive, disinterested sexual partner.

Women are more responsive to men who understand that lovemaking is an ongoing experience of affection. A woman who is not listened to, appreciated, or gratified sexually by her husband or male companion is unlikely to be romantically inclined:

“As a woman’s level of sexual desire can be influenced by thoughts, feelings, sights, and sounds; it may not be surprising to note that there are multiple reasons women may experience low libido.

“Some of these reasons include extreme stress, sleep deprivation, poor self image, depression & anxiety. Relationship problems and hormonal difficulties can also lead to low libido. It’s estimated that approximately 30-40 million women suffer from low libido in the United States.” (From NBT Research)

One of the major reasons why women may experience a decline in libido, especially as they pass into their thirties, forties, and beyond: a deficiency of testosterone.

If you’re wondering what testosterone has to do with a woman’s interest in sex, the answer is: everything. In women as well as men, testosterone is the hormone of desire. The millions of women in this country who experience estrogen dominance suffer not only from a relative deficiency of progesterone but also from a deficiency of testosterone:

“When your estrogen and progesterone hormones are balanced, you feel more alert and energetic. And balancing family, career, stress and your own needs becomes much easier to do, like it was when you were younger.” (From Endometriosis Help)

In women who are of reproductive age, levels of testosterone peak at ovulation, the very time in a woman’s menstrual cycle when she is fertile. This surge in testosterone midway through her cycle stimulates a woman’s desire for sex. However, when a woman is estrogen dominant, she experiences numerous anovulatory cycles in which there is no elevation in testosterone at this midpoint. This problem is compounded by the fact that estrogen dominance increases the liver’s production of sex hormone-binding globulins, proteins that attach to the small amount of testosterone in circulation and inhibit the hormone’s entry into cells.

Signs and Symptoms of Low Testosterone in Women:

• Low libido

• Blunted motivation

• Fatigue

• Depression and/or anxiety

• Low blood levels of free testosterone

If estrogen dominance is bad news for a woman’s libido, a hysterectomy can be devastating. About half of a woman’s testosterone is produced by her ovaries, with the other half produced in the adrenal glands. Women who undergo a total hysterectomy, with the removal of their ovaries, immediately lose 50 percent of their circulating testosterone. The resulting symptoms of low libido, fatigue, and malaise often are attributed wrongly to the sharp drop in estrogen, when in fact it is the abrupt decline in testosterone levels that is the culprit. The primary sexual effect of estrogen deficiency is thinning and dryness of the vaginal tissues, not a decrease in desire. For women who undergo natural menopause, the decline in testosterone is more gradual, but it still can dampen libido and contribute to depression, anxiety, and other psychological symptoms.

The solution is obvious: supplementation with small, physiologic replacement doses of natural testosterone to restore levels to those of a healthy young woman. Sadly, this option is rarely offered to women by conventional physicians.

As with estrogen and progesterone, the form of testosterone that I recommend for women is time-released micronized capsules. Micronized hormones are 80-90 percent absorbed, and the time-release base allows for the slow, steady absorption of testosterone in the small intestines and the lymphatic system. The dose is adjusted as necessary according to a woman’s symptoms and periodic measurements of free testosterone levels in the blood, if indicated.

Besides its beneficial effects on female sexual desire and pleasure, testosterone improves the tone of the vagina and bladder, decreases body fat, improves muscle strength and bone density, enhances the function of thyroid hormone, relieves anxiety and depression, and promotes clearer thinking.

For a FREE e-Book by Dr. Hotze on Testosterone Replacement in Women CLICK HERE.

Do you have Low Testosterone Levels? CLICK HERE to test yourself.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 25th, 2006 at 2:31 pm and is filed under Dr. Steven Hotze. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.