In short
Low libido in women is a lasting loss of sexual desire that causes personal distress, and it only counts as a disorder with that distress. In a US study of over 30,000 women, 39 percent reported low desire and 10 to 14 percent, about 1 in 8, were distressed by it. Relationship factors, pain, menopause symptoms, mood and medicines predict desire in midlife better than hormone levels do.
Condition Overview
What is low libido in women?
Low libido in women is reduced or absent sexual interest that causes personal or relationship distress. Female sexual dysfunction always requires distress; a woman content with her level of desire does not have a disorder, even when her partner wants sex more often.
How common is low libido in women?
Low desire is the most common sexual concern women report. In the PRESIDE study of over 30,000 US women, 39 percent reported low desire and 10 to 14 percent were distressed by it (Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2008). Distressing sexual problems were most frequent between 45 and 64, at 15 percent, and least frequent over 65, at 9 percent.
Does desire have to come before sex?
No, for many women in long relationships desire follows arousal rather than preceding it, according to clinical guidance. Women are also motivated by emotional closeness, and satisfaction does not require every phase of the sexual response. Absent spontaneous desire is therefore not automatically a disorder.
What causes low libido in women?
Low libido in women is usually multifactorial. The common causes are:
- Pain: painful sex from vaginal dryness after menopause, pelvic floor tension or endometriosis
- Menopause: night sweats, poor sleep, mood changes and vaginal dryness
- Mood and medicines: depression, anxiety, SSRI antidepressants, antipsychotics and benzodiazepines
- Relationship: conflict, relationship duration and a partner’s erectile dysfunction
- Life stage: fatigue and stress, and the months after childbirth
- Illness: thyroid disease, raised prolactin, urinary incontinence and cancer treatment
Is low libido in women caused by menopause?
Menopause contributes through symptoms more than through hormone levels. Falling oestrogen causes vaginal dryness and painful sex, and night sweats, poor sleep and mood changes lower desire. In a study of women aged 51 to 61, overall health, mental health and a new partner affected sexual function more than menopause itself. Painful sex after menopause: vaginal oestrogen.
Is low testosterone the cause of low libido in women?
Usually not. Testosterone levels do not predict sexual function in most studies, and ovarian testosterone production stays relatively constant through natural menopause, according to clinical guidance. New low desire at natural menopause is therefore not attributed to testosterone.
How is low libido in women assessed?
Low libido in women is assessed with a detailed sexual and medical history and, where relevant, a pelvic examination. The history identifies when the change started and what changed at the same time, such as menopause, childbirth, a new medicine or depression. Blood tests are used only where the history suggests thyroid disease, raised prolactin or anaemia.
Low libido in women in Dubai and the UAE
Why is low desire rarely discussed in the UAE?
Most sexual problems in women remain unrecognised because neither patient nor doctor raises them, according to clinical guidance. In a Dubai study of 591 women, 82 percent had fair or poor knowledge of menopause, 8 in 10, including its effects on sexual health (Menopause, 2021).
A consultation about a sexual problem with Dr Felix is private and documented with ordinary medical confidentiality. A female chaperone is available on request, and nothing requires a partner to attend or to be told.
How low libido in women is treated: women’s sexual health in Dubai. After menopause: low libido after menopause.
When to See a Doctor
- Low desire lasts for months and causes you distress.
- Sex has become painful or uncomfortable.
- Desire dropped with menopause symptoms, after childbirth or after a new medicine.
- Low desire is straining your relationship.
- Bleeding after sex or after menopause: prompt gynaecological assessment.
- Low mood with hopelessness or thoughts of self-harm: urgent help the same day.
How Dr. Felix Assesses This
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1
Private history
When desire changed, pain, arousal, orgasm, mood, sleep, medicines, relationship and life events.
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2
Menopause and pain
Menopause symptoms and vaginal dryness; examination only with consent and when it changes the plan.
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3
Targeted tests
Thyroid, prolactin or blood count only where the history points to them.
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4
Diagnosis and plan
The contributing causes named, in the order they are addressed.
Treatment Options
Vaginal Oestrogen in Dubai
Vaginal oestrogen is a low dose of oestrogen placed in the vagina, where it restores the thickness, moisture and acidic…
View Treatment
HRT Patches and Oestrogen Gel in Dubai
HRT patches and oestrogen gel are transdermal estradiol, the same hormone the ovaries made before menopause, absorbed through the skin…
View Treatment
Why Early Treatment Can Matter
Early assessment of low libido in women finds pain, menopause symptoms and depression that respond to treatment. Treating painful sex often improves desire, arousal and orgasm at the same time.
Early assessment also protects the relationship, because distress and avoidance tend to reinforce each other over time.
Why Early Treatment Can Matter
Early assessment of low libido in women finds pain, menopause symptoms and depression that respond to treatment. Treating painful sex often improves desire, arousal and orgasm at the same time.
Early assessment also protects the relationship, because distress and avoidance tend to reinforce each other over time.
Pain first
Treating painful sex often restores desire without any further treatment.
The missed cause
Depression, thyroid disease and medication effects are found at the first assessment.
History before tests
The history identifies most causes; blood tests only where they add information.
Cost & Consultation Investment
The cost of a low libido assessment covers the consultation with Dr Felix, any examination and the tests the history calls for. Dr Felix explains the full cost before anything is done.
Frequently Asked Questions
Low desire is common, reported by 39 percent of women in a US study, but it is a disorder only when it causes distress. Distress affected 10 to 14 percent of women in the same study.
Menopause lowers desire mainly through vaginal dryness, painful sex, night sweats, poor sleep and mood changes. Overall health, mental health and the relationship affect desire more than menopause itself.
Usually not. Testosterone levels do not predict sexual function in most studies and stay relatively constant through natural menopause.
No. For many women in long relationships, desire follows arousal rather than preceding it, and this is a normal pattern.
The cost covers the consultation, any examination and the tests the history calls for. Dr Felix explains the full figure before anything is done.
Evidence
Where this information comes from
Every figure on this page is taken from the sources below. All of them are free to read, so you can check them yourself.
- Sexual problems and distress in United States women: prevalence and correlates (PRESIDE)
- Women’s knowledge and awareness on menopause symptoms and its treatment options remains inadequate: a report from the United Arab Emirates
- EAU Guidelines on Sexual and Reproductive Health
This page is general medical information and does not replace a personal consultation. Trial results are averages across large groups, not a prediction for any one person.