Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD) Treatment
Fluctuation of sexual desire is common among both men and women. Personal experiences and biological sex-drive largely account for one’s level of sexual desire. However, those with low sexual desire that experience distress due to their lack of interest in sex may suffer from hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD). For patients with HSDD, finding successful treatment options can be quite challenging and create more significant distress. Existing treatment options for HSDD comprise pharmaceuticals, such as bremelanotide injections and flibanserin tablets, which may be unsuitable for individuals with certain health conditions and those seeking treatment free from severe side effects.
Certain individuals diagnosed with HSDD may not fall within the candidacy requirements (premenopausal women with acquired, generalized HSDD) for the available prescription treatment options. If your sexual desire is lower than it used to be and if the resulting sexual desire discrepancy — the difference between one’s desired frequency of sexual intercourse and the frequency of sexual intercourse — frustrates you, then our available treatment options may benefit you. Our clinic offers a new, alternative hypoactive sexual desire disorder treatment that effectively treats the symptoms of sexual desire disorder in both men and women for enduring, beneficial results.
What Is Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder?
Hypoactive sexual desire disorder, or HSDD, is a psychiatric condition marked by a lack of sexual fantasies, thoughts, and/or desire for or receptivity to sexual activity, from which personal distress or relationship difficulties result and is not associated with a co-existing medical or psychiatric condition, relationship difficulties, or the effects of medications or other substances.
Distress is a key component, as individuals with a low libido may not experience distress or difficulties with their partner(s). If low sexual functioning does not cause pain, stress, or anxiety, it is unlikely that HSDD is the cause, and more likely that the individual may be asexual.
Individuals diagnosed with acquired, generalized HSDD have not experienced low desire in the past, but now have low sexual desire no matter the sexual activity, situation, or partner. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) defines low libido as a sexual desire disorder encompassing two conditions: Male Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder and Female Sexual Arousal Disorder or Female Sexual Interest Disorder. Research on HSDD is primarily aimed toward cisgender women, but the condition affects people of all genders.
HSDD Causes
While it’s healthy for sexual desire to fluctuate, individuals with HSDD typically experience a lack of sexual desire for more than six months. Symptoms associated with this sexual desire disorder include little-to-no interest in sexual activity; few-to-no sexual thoughts or fantasies; disinterest in initiating sex; difficulty feeling pleasure from sexual activities; and lack of pleasurable sensations during genital stimulation. Individuals with HSDD may likewise experience negative body image, have low self-esteem, and avoid intimacy. There are a wide range of potential HSDD causes, including biological/physiological, social, and psychosocial.
Biological or physiological causes may include low sexual desire due to prescribed medications for treating diabetes, heart disease, hormone disorders, pain, urinary tract disorders, substance abuse, and chronic physical and psychiatric illnesses. Additionally, certain medications used to treat depression, anxiety, and psychosis can reduce desire. A number of physical conditions are likewise associated with HSDD, such as breast cancer, diabetes, depression, incontinence, thyroid issues, and multiple sclerosis, among other types of physical conditions that affect both men and women.
An imbalance of neurotransmitters and chemicals in the brain may likewise be the cause, as the chemicals that cause or inhibit sexual desire may be out of balance. Social causes, such as relationship issues, may result in the acquirement of HSDD, although the condition may be experienced by individuals that are not in a relationship. The condition may be due to psychosocial causes, such as changes to the quality of a relationship, past trauma, stress, poor body image, depression, anxiety, and perceptions about aging.