Editing Libido (section)

=== Physical factors ===
Physical factors that can affect libido include [[Endocrine system|endocrine]] issues such as [[hypothyroidism]], the effect of certain prescription medications (for example [[flutamide]]), and the attractiveness and biological fitness of one's partner, among various other lifestyle factors.<ref>{{cite web| url= https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/199612/the-orgasm-wars| work= [[Psychology Today]] | title=The Orgasm Wars |date= December 31, 1996| access-date=August 19, 2023}}</ref>

[[Anemia]] is a cause of lack of libido in women due to the loss of [[iron]] during the period.<ref name="A">{{cite web | url=http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/sex_relationships/facts/lackingsexdrive.htm | title=Lack of sex drive in men (lack of libido) | website=netdoctor.co.uk | publisher= | date= | access-date=July 28, 2010 | archive-date=October 16, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016134757/http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/sex_relationships/facts/lackingsexdrive.htm | url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[Smoking]] tobacco, [[alcohol use disorder]], and the use of certain drugs can also lead to a decreased libido.<ref>{{cite web |last1= |title=Low sex drive in women: symptoms and causes| website= mayoclinic.org| url= https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/low-sex-drive-in-women/symptoms-causes/syc-20374554 |publisher=Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER) |access-date=14 January 2020 |ref=Feb. 15, 2018}}</ref> Moreover, specialists suggest that several lifestyle changes such as exercising, [[quitting smoking]], lowering consumption of alcohol or using prescription drugs may help increase one's sexual desire.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Finley |first1=Nicola |title=Lifestyle Choices Can Augment Female Sexual Well-Being |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=38–41 |journal= American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine |pmc=6125014 |year=2017 |pmid= 30283244 |doi= 10.1177/1559827617740823 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1= |title=Low sex drive in women: Diagnosis and Treatment |website= mayoclinic.org| url= https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/low-sex-drive-in-women/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20374561 |publisher=Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER) |access-date=14 January 2020}}</ref>

==== Medications ====
Some people purposefully attempt to decrease their libido through the usage of [[anaphrodisiac]]s.<ref>Rebal Jr, Ronald F., Robert A. Faguet, and Sherwyn M. Woods. "Unusual sexual syndromes." ''Extraordinary Disorders of Human Behavior''. Springer US, 1982. 121-154.</ref> Aphrodisiacs, such as [[dopaminergic]] psychostimulants, are a class of drugs which can increase libido. On the other hand, a reduced libido is also often [[iatrogenic]] and can be caused by many medications, such as [[hormonal contraception]], [[selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor|SSRI]]s and other [[antidepressants]], [[antipsychotic]]s, [[opioid]]s, [[beta blocker]]s and [[isotretinoin]].

Isotretinoin, [[finasteride]] and many SSRIs uncommonly can cause a long-term decrease in libido and overall sexual function, sometimes lasting for months or years after users of these drugs have stopped taking them. These long-lasting effects have been classified as iatrogenic medical disorders, respectively termed post-retinoid sexual dysfunction/post-Accutane syndrome (PRSD/PAS), post-finasteride syndrome (PFS) and [[Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor#Sexual dysfunction|post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD)]].<ref name=":12"/><ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|last1=Bala|first1=Areeg|last2=Nguyen|first2=Hoang Minh Tue| last3= Hellstrom|first3=Wayne J. G.| date= 2018-01-01|title=Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction: A Literature Review| journal=Sexual Medicine Reviews |volume=6|issue=1|pages=29–34| doi=10.1016/j.sxmr.2017.07.002|pmid=28778697|issn=2050-0521}}</ref> These three disorders share many overlapping symptoms in addition to reduced libido, and are thought to share a common etiology, but collectively remain poorly-understood and lack effective treatments.

Multiple studies have shown that with the exception of [[bupropion]] (Wellbutrin), [[trazodone]] (Desyrel) and [[nefazodone]] (Serzone), antidepressants generally will lead to lowered libido.<ref name=":12" /> SSRIs that typically lead to decreased libido are [[fluoxetine]] (Prozac), [[paroxetine]] (Paxil), [[fluvoxamine]] (Luvox), [[citalopram]] (Celexa) and [[sertraline]] (Zoloft).<ref name=":12" /> Lowering the dosage of SSRI medications has been shown to improve libido in some patients.<ref name="Gonzales_1997">{{cite journal |last1=Montejo-González |first1=A L |last2=Llorca |first2=G |last3=Izquierdo |first3=J A |date=Fall 1997 |title=SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction: fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline, and fluvoxamine in a prospective, multicenter, and descriptive clinical study of 344 patients |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9292833/ |journal=J Sex Marital Ther |volume=23 |issue=3 |pages=176–194 |doi=10.1080/00926239708403923 |pmid=9292833 |access-date=2024-09-27}}</ref> Other users try enrolling in psychotherapy to solve depression-related issues of libido. However, the effectiveness of this therapy is mixed, with many reporting that it had no or little effect on sexual drive.<ref name=":12" />

[[Testosterone]] is one of the hormones controlling libido in human beings. Emerging research<ref>{{Cite journal
| last1 = Warnock | first1 = J. K.
| last2 = Clayton | first2 = A.
| last3 = Croft | first3 = H.
| last4 = Segraves | first4 = R.
| last5 = Biggs | first5 = F. C.
| title = Comparison of Androgens in Women with Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder: Those on Combined Oral Contraceptives (COCs) vs. Those not on COCs
| doi = 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2006.00294.x
| journal = The Journal of Sexual Medicine
| volume = 3
| issue = 5
| pages = 878–882
| year = 2006
| pmid = 16942531
}}.</ref> is showing that hormonal contraception methods like oral [[contraceptive pill]]s (which rely on [[estrogen]] and [[progesterone]] together) are causing low libido in females by elevating levels of [[sex hormone-binding globulin]] (SHBG). SHBG binds to sex hormones, including testosterone, rendering them unavailable. Research is showing that even after ending a hormonal contraceptive method, SHBG levels remain elevated and no reliable data exists to predict when this phenomenon will diminish.<ref>{{Cite journal
| last1 = Panzer | first1 = C.
| last2 = Wise | first2 = S.
| last3 = Fantini | first3 = G.
| last4 = Kang | first4 = D.
| last5 = Munarriz | first5 = R.
| last6 = Guay | first6 = A.
| last7 = Goldstein | first7 = I.
| doi = 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2005.00198.x
| title = Impact of Oral Contraceptives on Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin and Androgen Levels: A Retrospective Study in Women with Sexual Dysfunction
| journal = The Journal of Sexual Medicine
| volume = 3
| issue = 1
| pages = 104–113
| year = 2006
| pmid = 16409223
}}.</ref>

[[Oral contraceptive pill|Oral contraceptives]] lower androgen levels in users, and lowered androgen levels generally lead to a decrease in sexual desire. However, usage of oral contraceptives has shown to typically not have a connection with lowered libido in women.<ref>{{Cite journal| last1=Burrows|first1=Lara J.|last2= Basha|first2=Maureen|last3=Goldstein|first3=Andrew T.|date=2012-09-01| title=The Effects of Hormonal Contraceptives on Female Sexuality: A Review|url=https://www.jsm.jsexmed.org/article/S1743-6095(15)34100-X/abstract|journal=The Journal of Sexual Medicine| language=en| volume=9|issue=9|pages=2213–2223| doi=10.1111/j.1743-6109.2012.02848.x| pmid=22788250|issn=1743-6095|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal| last1= Davis| first1=Anne R.| last2= Castaño| first2=Paula M.|date=2004|title=Oral contraceptives and libido in women| journal=Annual Review of Sex Research|volume=15|pages=297–320| issn=1053-2528|pmid=16913282}}</ref>

==== Effects of age ====
Males reach the peak of their sex drive in their teenage years {{Dubious|reason= Males clearly peak in sex drive in their early 20s|date=May 2023}}, while females reach it in their thirties.<ref>{{cite book | page= [https://books.google.com/books?id=4eRtj_DxQgoC&pg=PA149 149]| title= Reconceiving the second sex | first=Marcia Claire | last=Inhorn |year= 2009 | publisher=| isbn= |via= Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=I7sQAQAAMAAJ | title=Principles and practice of adult health nursing | first= Patricia | last= Gauntlett Beare | date=1990 | publisher=Mosby| isbn= 9780801603860|via= Google Books}}</ref> The surge in testosterone hits the male at puberty resulting in a sudden and extreme sex drive which reaches its peak at age 15–16, then drops slowly over their lifetime.{{Disputed inline|date=May 2023}} In contrast, a female's libido increases slowly during adolescence and peaks in their mid-thirties.{{why|date=August 2021}}<ref>{{cite book
 |publisher = Penguin (Non-Classics)
 |ol = 7360364M
 |isbn = 9780142004678 | page = [https://archive.org/details/sextimepowerho00shla/page/140 140]
 |title = Sex, Time, and Power
 |url = https://archive.org/details/sextimepower00leon_0
 |first = Leonard
 |last= Shlain
 |date = July 27, 2004
 }}</ref>
Actual testosterone and estrogen levels that affect a person's sex drive vary considerably.

Some boys and girls will start expressing romantic or sexual interest by age 10–12. The romantic feelings are not necessarily sexual, but are more associated with attraction and desire for another. For boys and girls in their preteen years (ages 11–12), at least 25% report "thinking a lot about sex".<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal| last=Fortenberry|first=J. Dennis| date= July 2013|title=Puberty and Adolescent Sexuality|journal=Hormones and Behavior| volume= 64|issue=2| pages=280–287| doi= 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2013.03.007| issn= 0018-506X| pmc= 3761219| pmid= 23998672}}</ref> By the early teenage years (ages 13–14), however, boys are much more likely to have [[Sexual fantasy|sexual fantasies]] than girls. In addition, boys are much more likely to report an interest in sexual intercourse at this age than girls.<ref name=":2" /> [[Masturbation]] among youth is common, with prevalence among the population generally increasing until the late 20s and early 30s. Boys generally start masturbating earlier, with less than 10% boys masturbating around age 10, around half participating by age 11–12, and over a substantial majority by age 13–14.<ref name=":2" /> This is in sharp contrast to girls where virtually none are engaging in masturbation before age 13, and only around 20% by age 13–14.<ref name=":2" />

People in their 60s and early 70s generally retain a healthy sex drive, but this may start to decline in the early to mid-70s.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=The Psychology of Human Sexuality|last=Lehmiller|first=Justin J|publisher=Wiley Blackwell| year= 2018|isbn=9781119164692|pages=621–626}}</ref> Older adults generally develop a reduced libido due to declining health and environmental or social factors.<ref name=":0" /> In contrast to common belief, postmenopausal women often report an increase in sexual desire and an increased willingness to satisfy their partner.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal| last1=Sinković|first1=Matija|last2=Towler|first2=Lauren|date=2018-12-25| title=Sexual Aging: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Research on the Sexuality and Sexual Health of Older Adults|journal=Qualitative Health Research|volume=29|issue=9|pages=1239–1254| doi= 10.1177/1049732318819834| pmid= 30584788|s2cid=58605636|issn=1049-7323}}</ref> Women often report family responsibilities, health, relationship problems, and well-being as inhibitors to their sexual desires. Aging adults often have more positive attitudes towards sex in older age due to being more relaxed about it, freedom from other responsibilities, and increased self-confidence. Those exhibiting negative attitudes generally cite health as one of the main reasons. Stereotypes about aging adults and sexuality often regard seniors as asexual beings, doing them no favors when they try to talk about sexual interest with caregivers and medical professionals.<ref name=":4" /> Non-western cultures often follow a narrative of older women having a much lower libido, thus not encouraging any sort of sexual behavior for women. Residence in retirement homes has effects on residents' libidos. In these homes, sex occurs, but it is not encouraged by the staff or other residents. Lack of privacy and resident gender imbalance are the main factors lowering desire.<ref name=":4" /> Generally, for older adults, being excited about sex, good health, sexual self-esteem and having a sexually talented partner can be factors.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kontula|first1=Osmo|last2=Haavio-Mannila|first2=Elina|date=2009-02-03|title=The Impact of Aging on Human Sexual Activity and Sexual Desire|journal=The Journal of Sex Research|volume=46|issue=1|pages=46–56|doi=10.1080/00224490802624414|issn=0022-4499|pmid=19090411|s2cid=3161449}}</ref>