Have you found your sex drive begins to wane as you age? If you have, you are experiencing something quite common. The loss of sex drive is something that about one in five men will experience at some point in their life. Often, sex drive will ebb and flow depending on stressful moments and life-altering events.
However, low sex drive can sometimes be a chronic condition that becomes more difficult to turn around if it is not addressed properly. Discover how aging, and the fluctuating hormone levels that may occur as a result, can lead to, and perpetuate a low sex drive.
What Causes Low Sex Drive in Men?
Aging is just one of the many potential causes of low male sex drive. Whether it has to do with stress, medications, trauma, or hormonal imbalance, low sex drive is something that you should try to address before it turns into a consistent, chronic issue. Here are some of the most common causes of low sex drive in men, many of which are related to low testosterone (also known as hypogonadism):
- Anxiety or depression
- Certain medications (such as antidepressants and those used for high blood pressure)
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Stress
- Poor self-image
- Erectile dysfunction (another form of male sexual dysfunction)
Low Testosterone and Low Male Sex Drive
Many of the causes of low sex drive in men can be attributed to the low testosterone levels that often accompany the aging process. Stress, erectile dysfunction, anxiety, and even depression can be caused and exacerbated by low testosterone.
Male hypogonadism occurs when the body just doesn’t produce enough testosterone, which then affects the body in several ways. A sustained loss of sex drive is just one of the many symptoms of low testosterone in men.
Symptoms of Low Testosterone
If you are wondering if low testosterone is to blame for a low sex drive, these are some of the other symptoms of low testosterone that you can look out for:
- Erectile dysfunction (ED)
- Increased body fat
- Increase of male breast size (gynecomastia)
- Loss of muscle strength and muscle mass
- Hot flashes
- Loss of energy and endurance
- Loss of focus and memory
Low Testosterone and Weight Gain
This relationship can best be described as a vicious cycle, because both conditions can lead to the other. Low testosterone can lead to weight gain, and weight gain can also lead to low testosterone. When two negative symptoms feed off one another like this, it can be very difficult to address those symptoms.
The good news is that this relationship also works the other way. That means that losing weight could address low testosterone levels. At the same time, improving testosterone levels could also address excess weight.
A man’s weight can have a large impact on his self-image, and a poor self-image can be one of many factors that lead to sexual dysfunction. Even more directly, some studies have shown that obese men are significantly more at risk for suffering from erectile dysfunction.
Unexpected weight gain is just one of the ways that low testosterone can lead to a low sex drive. Weight gain can also increase the risk of cardiovascular issues. Cardiovascular issues can lead to ED, which can then lead to a low sex drive.
How is Low Male Sex Drive Diagnosed?
If you are concerned about potentially low testosterone levels, the best course of action would be to obtain a measurement of your hormone levels. A highly qualified healthcare practitioner would administer a physical exam and ask questions about medical history, symptoms, lifestyle management, and other relevant topics. They would also order blood tests to accurately measure testosterone levels. If testosterone levels are found to be low, then you could start considering treatment options.
How Can Low Sex Drive in Men be Addressed?
There are several ways that men can naturally boost testosterone. Since unexpected weight gain and excess fat can lead to a decrease in testosterone, that also means that men can give their testosterone levels a boost by reaching and staying at a moderate weight. The best ways to do so include exercising regularly and enjoying a healthy diet.
Other studies have made the connection between low sex drive and high levels of stress. This is largely because increased stress causes the body to increase the production of cortisol (also called the “stress hormone”). Cortisol can impede the body’s production of testosterone. Sustained high levels of cortisol can lead to adrenal fatigue, which is a condition that is defined by chronically low testosterone levels. It is no surprise that decreased sex drive is a symptom of adrenal fatigue. Many of the best ways to reduce stress levels are similar to the best ways to maintain a healthy weight: exercise regularly, enjoy a healthy diet, and get consistently good sleep.
Hormone Replacement Therapy
When the natural remedies to low testosterone aren’t enough, many men turn to hormone replacement therapy (HRT). A highly trained healthcare practitioner can get an accurate measurement of hormone levels and curate a plan to provide the body with the testosterone it needs to maintain hormonal balance.
Testosterone has a variety of different delivery options in regard to HRT. Some people like creams and gels, although both methods run the risk of transferring the testosterone to anyone who comes in contact with the cream or gel (accidentally or otherwise). Some people like to use patches, but they come with the risk of falling off or providing inconsistent dosing.
Liquid testosterone injections are a very common delivery method for testosterone HRT. Liquid testosterone injections are typically administered once every week or two. They reduce the risk of someone else accidentally coming in contact with the testosterone, and they provide a consistent dose to the bloodstream. People also like that injections are only required once every week or two, as opposed to creams or gels that have to be administered daily. However, there are a few drawbacks to liquid injections. For one, you would have to either inject the liquid testosterone yourself or find someone else to do it every week or two. Another drawback is that regular liquid injections can also lead to inflammation or pain at the injection site.
Why so Many People Have Turned to Pellet Therapy
Another delivery method that has gained momentum in recent years is pellet therapy. These pellets are small clusters of hormone medication that are roughly the size of a grain of rice. A highly trained medical provider inserts these pellets just under the skin, and these implants provide daily doses of hormones for 2-3 months. Obviously, this dramatically cuts down the number of injections/procedures. This greatly reduces the risk of pain or issues at the injection site. However, even standard pellet therapy has some negative aspects for some people. Sometimes, the pellets can provide inconsistent or up-and-down dosing for those 2-3 months. Also, while issues at the insertion site like pain or scar tissue are rarer than with liquid injections, they can still happen
Discover How EvexiPEL Can Address Low Sex Drive in Men
Thousands of people have discovered the EvexiPEL method from EVEXIAS Health Solutions as a way to reduce the risks of the drawbacks that can happen with standard pellet therapy.
The EvexiPEL Method was developed after the founder, Dr. Terri DeNeui, wanted to improve both the results and the patient experience of standard pellet therapy. After 15 years of research that also involved close examinations of 80 years of prior research, The EvexiPEL Method was created to improve comfort during each insertion procedure and each treatment cycle. EvexiPEL allows people to enjoy the benefits of 2-3 months of consistent dosing of hormones that have been designed to be identical to their hormones based on readings of their own hormone levels, but without the pain and scar tissue that can happen with standard pellet insertions.
If you think that you may be struggling with a low sex drive as a result of low testosterone, reach out to a highly-trained EvexiPEL provider near you today and experience the same benefits of high-quality HRT that tens of thousands of patients have been able to enjoy.
