The low down on libido

2 mins to read

What factors affect your sex drive and how can libido best be boosted? Naturopath and author Jennifer Jefferies takes us under the sheets to find out.

Everyday health

Q: How do male and female libidos differ?

A – JJ:. The sex drives in both men and women are influenced by testosterone, yet men have more testosterone, which prompts their sexual urge. Women are a lot more emotionally-triggered.

Q. What factors can lead to low libido?

A – JJ: In my experience, women tend to burn out a lot quicker – their adrenals get taxed faster, which can influence hormone production. They have lower DHEA levels anyway (dehydroepiandrosterone, a steroid hormone produced from cholesterol in the brain, gonads, skin and adrenal glands), which is the precursor for determining the amount of testosterone you produce. These decrease with age. Once you get to thirty, they start to drop off a lot faster in women than they do in men. So with that natural decrease, women's libido can drop.

Q. What other factors influence sex drive?

A – JJ: I've also found with women in my clinic, when they're out searching for a mate, the libido naturally increases. But when they find someone and settle into that safe domestic routine – be it a couple of months or a couple of years – they don't have the same sort of drive, because they feel emotionally secure. In men, the security factor doesn't seem to have the same effect.

Q. How common it is for people you see to exhibit low libido?

A – JJ: When I was in practice, 60 to 70 per cent of women showed with low libido. I found that was absolutely, directly linked to the whole adrenal burnout thing.

Libido is one of the first things that go in women – it's your body trying to say, ‘I'm feeling tired, I haven't got time to breed and make babies, so I'm just going to try and shut that down for a while, so you can just can just cope with what is going on.' They're burning the candle at both ends and depleting adrenal energy. Perfectionist workaholic-types are the ones whose libido drops first, because they're sitting on the edge of that adrenal tiredness.

People are working harder and faster these days, so loss of libido is definitely on the increase. This is not so much the case for guys, it still happens, but not to the same degree. When people are busy and tired, they don't eat properly, cut corners and have more stimulants – tea, coffee and alcohol – which tax their adrenals more and dig deeper bigger holes.

Q. How would you treat people concerned about low libido?

A – JJ: I always look at what's behind low libido. Unless there is a direct emotional cause, to treat the physical I look for the herbs that work on the adrenal glands and replace DHEA levels. My favourite herbs for that are Siberian ginseng, withania and liquorice root. From a dietary perspective, anything that's rich in l-arginine [an amino acid], has been shown to be useful. It's really just about maintaining a healthy diet – plenty of nuts, seeds, brown grains, dark green vegetables and root vegetables.

Q. Which foods have aphrodisiac qualities?

A – JJ: In Turkey they sell Turkish 'Viagra' in the spice market, which is figs stuffed with walnuts. Good quality foods will be as much of an aphrodisiac on a physical level as any medicines around.

With aromatherapy, no essential oils stimulate circulation in a way that enhances libido, although a lot of oils are classed as aphrodisiacs because they make you feel warm and fuzzy. If you feel that way, you're going to be more receptive to other ‘possibilities'. So to set the mood, they're great.

In terms of supplements, I like B-complexes or multivitamins with Siberian ginseng and a good magnesium level.

Q. How do you think expectations affect sex drive?

A – JJ: There's a perception that everyone out there is getting more than you're getting. Partly, this comes from the movies: we make unrealistic comparisons. There's no text book to say what is absolutely ‘normal'.

Men and women run on emotional as well as hormonal cycles and there are going to be times when you're more receptive. If a woman's had a really busy day at work, she's less likely to be in the mood, whereas a guy can just think of it as a release without that emotional overlap.

Everyone should find their own cycle and go for it when it works for everyone. Warm and fuzzy sex can be just as satisfying as sex where you achieve the ultimate orgasm.