The Playbook for Kids about Sex by Joani Blank

She says sexual drive is the biological component of desire, which is reflected as spontaneous sexual interest including sexual thoughts, erotic fantasies, and daydreams. Kingsberg says that sexual desire is more than just an issue of low libido or sex drive. 'If it's working for them and/or their partner, there is no problem.'īut when a woman experiences a significant decrease in interest in sex that is having an effect on their life and is causing distress, then it's considered a problem of low sexual desire or HSDD. 'One of first things I do in speaking to women who come in with sexual concerns is let them know that there is no normal frequency or set of behaviors and things change with time,' says Jan Shifren, MD, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.

What Is Low Sexual Desire?Ĭontrary to popular belief, experts say frequency of sexual intercourse has nothing to do with sexual desire or satisfaction. 'Although we would love to simplify it so we could have the one-two or even a one-punch treatment, it doesn't tend to work that way.'īut the introduction of anti-impotence treatments in the last few years has spurred more research into the causes of sexual dysfunction among both men and women, and effective therapies are available to help put the lust back into women's lives. 'Women's sexuality tends to be multifaceted and fairly complicated,' says sex psychologist Sheryl Kingsberg, PhD. Unlike men's main sexual complaint, erectile dysfunction, women's biggest sexual problem is caused by a combination of both mental and physical factors, which aren't likely to be cured by merely popping a pill. A recent study showed that nearly one-third of women aged 18 to 59 suffer from a lost interest in sex, and it's not all in their heads. 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. Living with libido loco? For a growing number of women, declining hormones, job stress, relationship issues, menopause, and other problems are taking their toll in the bedroom.

The Playbook for Kids about Sex by Joani Blank