Feeling less tempted to get it on lately? While many factors could contribute to a lacklustre sex drive, new research suggests that your birth control method could be to blame.
Compared to women who use non-hormonal contraception like condoms, women who take hormonal birth control experience lower sex drive and more discomfort during intercourse, according to a study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.
Researchers at Princeton and a few other universities performed a survey online on 1,101 women under age 51. Half of those women were using both hormonal and non-hormonal contraception, while the other half were only using the latter.
Sadly, women using hormonal contraception reported less frequent sexual activity, arousal, pleasure, and orgasm in the last month; plus, they had more issues with dryness and pain.
However, not all women taking the Pill have side effects like these. In fact, knowing you can’t get pregnant thanks to the hormonal contraceptives can be one of the best libido boosters, says Mary Jane Minkin, M.D., F.A.C.O.G., clinical professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at Yale University School of Medicine.
As to the reason why hormones might be a mood-killer, Minkin says there is no exact answer. “Nobody knows what the agent of libido is,” she says, but testosterone likely plays a role. Birth control pills basically shut down the ovaries for the time being, explains Minkin, but since ovaries produce testosterone, this could be the source of a sexual slump.
It is also important to highlight that this study found there was no difference in sexual satisfaction between users of hormonal and non-hormonal contraceptives. Additionally, women in the first group were just as likely to initiate sex as women in the other group.
This study shows that birth control may dampen sexual desire for some women, but it doesn’t seem to make a huge difference on your overall sex life.
[Source]
