The Pill's Effect on Sex Drive
Most women take the pill without experiencing any major side effects, but about 1 in 10 women find it destroys their sex drive.
Mar 28, 2017
Jul 15, 2021
Sexual Health
Barbara Dehn, RN, MS, NP, FAANP, NCMP
Practicing Nurse Practitioner
Author
San Francisco, CA
Barbara Dehn, RN, MS, NP, is a practicing nurse practitioner and a television health expert, who's known as Nurse Barb. She's passionate about health education, whether it's 1 on 1 with a patient, in a lecture hall at Stanford or with millions of people watching on television. Her warm and engaging personality puts everyone at ease as they learn more about health.
Nurse Barb is the award winning author of the Personal Guides to Health used by over 5 million women in the US, with titles ranging from fertility and pregnancy to menopause and breastfeeding. Active in Social Media, she contributes content to HealthyWomen, Huffington Post, NurseBarb, KevinMD and The Patch and amplifies her reach with an active and engaged Facebook following and 34,000 Twitter followers.
She is the author of The Hot Guide to a Cool Sexy Menopause, Nurse Barb's Guide to Breastfeeding and Nurse Barb's Guide to Pregnancy.
Barb earned a masters degree from UCSF and a BS from Boston College. She's certified by the North American Menopause Society and is a Fellow in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Over the last 2 years, she's been an active participant in Global Health Initiatives at FAME Hospital in Karatu, Tanzania. Barb lives in the San Francisco Bay area.
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I saw a patient who loved her birth control method—hardly any cramping, light periods, reassurance that she was protected, which are all beneficial. There was one thing that wasn't working, and that was her libido.
She asked if her method of preventing pregnancy was preventing her from having any interest in sex. Could it be? she wondered.
Though this is a normal side effect for some women, thankfully less than 10 percent of women who use the pill or the NuvaRing experience this. Often switching pills will help.
How it happens
The pill or the ring prevent pregnancy by suppressing the ovaries from making estrogen and progesterone, which cause ovulation. These birth control methods can also have the unwanted side effect of decreasing a woman's sex drive.
Many of my patients don't notice this for a few months. They attribute the change to stress, lack of sleep or other interferences.
What to do?
Talk to your health care provider about:
• Switching pills to a different formulation
• Switching from the pill to NuvaRing or vice versa
• Try an IUD, like Mirena, which is also safe and effective
Other side effects
Most women tolerate birth control pills and NuvaRing well. Some have minor side effects that improve after two to three months of use.
If you're experiencing an unwanted side effect, be sure to call your provider. It's better to switch than to stop and risk an accidental pregnancy.
This blog originally appeared on Nurse Barb's Daily Dose. Barb Dehn is a women's health nurse practitioner, award-winning author and nationally recognized health expert. She practiceswith El Camino Women's Medical Group in Silicon Valley in California.
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