Birth Control and Sex

Non-hormone choices:

- Copper IUD (more effective statistically than a tubal ligation)
- Condoms
- Diaphragm or Cervical Cap w/jelly
- Sponge

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I noticed that my sex drive decreased with the pill. I think one of the causes is that our testosterone levels actually go down with the pill. It's so weird to me how all these hormones work... you would think that more estrogen would be a good thing! Anyway, since I use the pill for reasons beyond birth control, stopping it is not my best option at this time. I will share the best treatment option from my doc: have a glass of wine. I'm not kidding, she told me this. And she's right ;)

I wish you the best!

1 mom found this helpful

I would try an IUD or other type of birth control instead of doing the pill. You could also be having hormonal changes that are affecting your drive. Also just being tired and dealing with daily activities could be wearing you out. I would maybe try to make an appt with another doctor to see what they say. I hope you find out what's wrong! Good luck!

One of the major reasons I hate hormonal BC.. One of the major reasons why I got a copper IUD.. Love it. I know there is a lot of criticism around it but I only had the first couple months of cramping (around period time) slightly spotting when I'm ovulating and slightly heavier periods.. I love that I don't have to think about my BC it's just there and I have a sex drive.. and my normal "functions" during sex (sorry to get personal but as in natural lubrications) isnt's affected either which I would otherwise experience with hormonal BC.. Don't know how a fibroid would affect you being able to get a IUD though..

I had issues with the pill and tried Depo Provera which was supposed to be a better alternative...wrong-o....it wiped all desire for sex completely out of my system, plus it made me depressed and made me gain weight. Good times...NOT! Needless to say, its very common to have problems with hormone-birth control. Have you tried the Today sponge? I LOVE the sponge...its easy to use, no hormones, no surgery or procedures etc. It might be worth a try until you decide what you and your husband are going to do for a permanent decision. Give your body a chance to bounce back (its been through a lot and will take some time to get rid of the artificial hormones). Take the pressure off of yourself, do something to pamper YOU, have a nice date-night with hubby and buy a sponge, LOL!! Hope it works out for you!!

I hated my birth control pills. They made me feel the same way you describe. Plus, my family has a history of blood clots and my sister had a stroke b/c of a blood clot on her brain that the doctors said was b/c of bc pills. I steer clear of them. Having that many more hormones in your body can't be good for you anyway. We used condoms for awhile, but yeah, they're a pain. Now we just use the pull-out method. It's effective and still satisfying enough for both of us. Also, it's FREEEE! haha

Good luck!

Get an IUD! They are great and don't affect your sex drive!

my sex drive increased on the pill but I loved the foam I only took pills to control cramps

I would love to hear the answers you get on this as I am having the same problem. The doc just says we can change pills until I find one that I don't have this particular reaction to and that most women actually have the opposite reaction to BC pills than we do! Let me know what you find out!

I was on the pill for about ten years, and tried about five different ones in that time period. By far the absolute best for me was Yaz. It just seemed to work with my system, but because we are all so different, I think you just haveto keep trying different ones until you find one that works. If you definitely don't want to mess around with the pill and have tried everything else, I really really suggest reading the book "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" by Toni Weschler. She wrote a really comprehensive book about how to track your cycles naturally and how to avoid (or target) your peak fertile days every month by using your basal body temperature, cervical position and cervical mucus and charting the results. It sounds like a giant pain, but if you are commited to it and follow the rules carefully, it is a way to family plan without pills, condoms, etc and it gets easy after about two months. I used the book to get pregnant, but now that I know so much about my cycles, I don't plan to get back on the pill after I'm done having kids. And I really didn't mind being on the pill, I just don't think I'll need it knowing what I now know. Good Luck!

I had the same problem when I took BC pills. My sex drive increased dramatically when I stopped the pills and got an IUD. The IUD has been ok, but I have had some issues with it as well. My OBGYN also told me it wasn't the pills. I think hormonal BC is heck on the body anyway. Good luck and I hope you find something that works for you!

The copper IUD is called a Paraguard. I have one, both my mom and sister have one. We all like them. The Mirena IUD is hormonal and only lasts 5 years. Paragurad is non-hormonal and lasts for 10 years.
Hope this helps! Good luck with your decision.

I have noticed this as well. At my last yearly appointment with my ob/gyn I discussed this with him. He said that it is actually very rare that the pill would be the cause of a decreased sex drive. He said obviously everyone reacts differently, but he said before trying changing the pill I should look into possible other causes. He gave me a whole printout to look at, but I actually didn't end up reading it because right after my appointment things improved a bit. They are still up and down though. I may need to dig it out and read it now. One thing that I think is helping a little is exercise. As I have got into a more consistent exercise routine, it seems to help in this area as well. The other thing we discussed at the appointment is that we do think we are done having kids as well and the doctor said that the subconscious fear of getting pregnant (even though you are on the pill) could cause some of these problems. He said that for many women they have a drastic improvement as soon as their husband gets a vasectomy. :) We are in the same boat as you, we are pretty sure we are done, I am just not quite ready to make that permanent decision yet.

As a side note, I had this decreased interest problem after my third child was born as well, and I was NOT on the pill. It did eventually improve on its own, but that could have been because I got pregnant unexpectedly. :) But because I dealt with this some before I was on the pill, I am wondering if it is more of a psychological thing, or maybe even physical changes that have occurred in my body due to having 4 children?

I don't want to discount the pill as being the source, because it could very well be, but if you are like me and are limited in what options you feel comfortable with using, you might look into other natural ways to increase your sex drive.

Hi K.! First of all, yes, I have had the same experience (or lack thereof, I guess) with the pill. It was frustrating and made me sad, even though my hubby was very supportive.
As a pharmacist, I can tell you that there are some differences between pills to consider, but it's a trade-off...Pills that contain certain progestins (norethindrone >1mg, Levonorgestrel, or Desogestrel) can improve sexual desire, but may also cause some unwanted side effects, like acne and hair growth.
Best of luck!