Another Valentine’s Day has come and gone, and even this commercially-imposed day of eros did not have any positive effect on my libido!
I have been taking a low dose of bio-identical hormones for 2 months now and have been experiencing some very positive changes. I’m sleeping better, I no longer have hot flushes or night sweats, and the vaginal dryness is gone.
However, as yet, there’s been no change in my libido – it’s still stuck in neutral!
I used to have a pretty healthy libido, but now it’s no where to be found. It’s not that I don’t enjoy some one-on-one action with my husband. I’m OK once things get rolling, it’s just that I’m not the least bit inclined to initiate anything. I just don’t think about it anymore!
I know that this is not normal, at least not for me, but I’m not sure what to do about it, short of just including it on my to do list, with the hope that eventually things get back to normal. Just ‘do it’ as they say!
I’d love to hear how others are dealing with a low libido. Any suggestions would be very welcome!
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February 17, 2009 at 7:38 pm
Terra
I too was dealing with a very very low libido. I was put on the bio-identical progesterone and I saw huge improvements: weight loss, no more night sweats, no more vaginal dryness and my hair started to grow back on my head! I still felt “off” or like something was missing. My compound pharmacist just recently put me on 10mg of DHEA…I’ve been on them for a little over a week and OMG! My sex drive is back! I would recommend talking to someone about DHEA, but if you are to be put on it go on the lowest dose possible. Taking too much can have adverse affect. I take one pill a day at the 10mg dose. I have read online about other women putting themselves on it and on very high doses at that and experiencing weight gain. I haven’t noticed anything adverse at all…it will even help your moods
catch me on my blog!
February 19, 2009 at 5:14 am
emilyevans67
Thanks for dropping by Terra. And, thanks for the info. about DHEA. I will look into it, and I’ll check out your blog!
BTW, what type of estrogen are you are taking, and what doses are you on?
February 17, 2009 at 7:39 pm
Terra
Oh…my mom who is perimenopausal also has started on 20mg of DHEA a day along with the progesterone…she’s a whole new woman let me tell ya! Good Luck!
February 19, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Terra
I am not on estrogen, the DHEA is to give mine a little boost. I am on bio-identical progesterone because in the beginning I was a raging freak! My progesterone was low and I was estrogen dominant. I was put on the progesterone first to level things out, but my estrogen dropped a little too much on it’s own…so that’s why I’m on the DHEA. My mom is in her mid 40′s and thought she was menopausal…she had blood work done that tested her hormones…turns out she’s not just Estrogen dominant! Have you had your hormones tested? Saliva testing is more accurate than blood, I’ve had both and the results difference was significant. My mom will be having a saliva test done next month. I would recommend it if you have done one already.
February 20, 2009 at 7:04 am
emilyevans67
Terra, thanks for getting back to me. Based on the research I’ve done to date, although hormone blood testing is not perfect – since a woman’s levels vary throughout the day, and even from day to day – saliva testing has yet to be proven to be accurate or reliable. In addition, absolute hormone levels in postmenopausal women have not been established to date, nor has a woman’s comfort level been proven to be related to her absolute hormone levels. But, in any event, I had blood work done on 2 or 3 occasions, and each time it showed my estrogen levels to be quite low. I’m still researching, so I will look into DHEA.
If you want a good web site on these matters (although you may already know about it), I’d suggest you check out The North American Menopause Society’s (NAMS) web site at http://www.menopause.org. I have found this organization to be a reliable and accurate source of information on the peri- and post-menopause transition. They describe themselves as a “non-profit charity that promotes the health and quality of life of women through an understanding of menopause.” If you’d like the European slant on things, you can also go to the International Menopause Society’s web site at http://www.imsociety.org. These websites are not perfect, but they do provide a great service, and they are not trying to sell you anything! I also go to a blog regularly, Flashfree, which you can access from my blog roll. The author is a medical writer, and she offers a balanced approach to this topic (not just the so-called “party” line).
Every woman has to do her own research (I’ve certainly done my share!) and have a good healthcare worker to consult with, but in the end one has to make the decision based on sound research and one’s gut reaction. Maybe it’s because I’m a healthcare worker myself, but, although I’m open to non-western solutions for health issues, I tend to be cautious of non-scientific solutions. However, I like to get as much information as I can, from as many sources as I can. It’s a very personal decision for each of us, isn’t it!?