Andrology-Open Access
Open Access

Low Libido: Understanding the Factors that Affect Sexual Desire

Xia Chu^{* *}Correspondence: Xia Chu, Department of Urology and Andrology, China Medical University, Taiwan, China, Email:

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About the Study

A person's total sexual drive or desire for sexual interaction is referred to as libido (sex drive). Biological, psychological, and social variables all influence libido. In humans, libido is controlled by sex hormones and related neurotransmitters that operate on the frontal cortex (mainly testosterone and dopamine, respectively). Work and family life, as well as internal psychological characteristics like personality and stress, can have an impact on libido. Medical disorders, drugs, lifestyle and relationship difficulties, and ageing can all impact libido (e.g., puberty). Hypersexuality is defined as having an abnormally high or rapid increase in sex urge, whereas hyposexuality is the total opposite. Libido is a mental drive or energy that is notably connected with sexual organs, but also present in other instinctive desires, according to psychoanalytic theory.

Low libido refers to a lack of desire to engage in sexual activities. It’s natural to lose interest in sex at times, and libido levels fluctuate throughout life. It's also common for their interests to differ than those of their partner at occasionally.

Low testosterone

Testosterone is a crucial hormone for men. It's typically generated in the testicles of males. Testosterone is responsible for muscle and bone mass growth, as well as sperm production stimulation. The testosterone levels have an impact on the sexual desire. Testosterone levels vary from person to person. Adult males, on the other hand, seem to have low testosterone, or low T, if their levels drop below 300 nanograms per deciliter (ng/ dL), according to American Urological Association recommendations (AUA). When your testosterone levels are too low, so does your desire for sex. The loss of testosterone is a natural component of growing older. However, a significant decline in testosterone might result in a loss of libido.

Factors that causes libido

The functioning in the mesolimbic dopamine pathway is principally responsible for libido (ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens). As a result, dopamine and related constituent amines (most significantly phenethylamine) that influence dopamine neurotransmission play an important role in libido regulation.

Other neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, and sex hormones that influence or act on this pathway and affect sex drive includes:

• Testosterone and other androgens (directly connected).

• Estrogen and related female sex hormones (directly connected).

• Progesterone is a hormone produced by the female reproductive system (inversely correlated).

• Oxytocin is a hormone that is produced by the body (directly correlated).

• Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that regulates mood (inversely correlated).

• Norepinephrine is a kind of norepinephrine that is (directly correlated).

• Acetylcholine..

Endocrine disorders such as hypothyroidism, the influence of some prescription drugs (for example, flutamide), and the attractiveness and biological fitness of one's partner, among other lifestyle factors, can all alter libido. The frequency with which men ejaculate has an effect on the amount of serum testosterone, a hormone that enhances desire. Anemia, or a lack of libido in women, is caused by the loss of iron during the menstrual cycle. A reduction in libido can also be caused by smoking, alcohol addiction, and the use of certain medicines.

A decrease in libido can also be caused by smoking, alcohol addiction, and the use of certain medicines. Furthermore, experts recommend that adopting lifestyle changes like exercising, stopping smoking, reducing alcohol use, or using prescription medicines might help enhance sexual desire.