Thyroid problems and sexual desire
Sex is something you might think about all the time. Thyroid problems? Not so much. But one can connect to the other. including those that involve sexual health and pleasure. It should come as no surprise, then, that thyroid disorders often are associated with sexual dysfunction issues.
Hormonal disorders — including an underactive thyroid — are responsible for one third of sexual problems people experience. Thyroid hormones have a major impact on the quality of your sex life. An underactive thyroid lowers sex drive and can lead to a lower quality sex life.
When hormone TSH rises and hormone fT4 drops, you might experience:
- Low sex drive
- Difficulty getting aroused
- Erectile dysfunction
- Vaginal dryness
- Inability to orgasm
- Delayed ejaculation
- Pain during and after sex
If you have been experiencing sexual dysfunction, but are not diagnosed with an underactive thyroid, this might be because your brain is very sensitive to even the lowest changes in thyroid hormone levels. You might start experiencing sexual dysfunction way ahead of your thyroid diagnosis.
Healthy sexual function
Male and female sexual function require:
- normal libido
- intact hypo-thalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis
- neurovascular integrity to the genitalia
- physiologic levels of sex hormones.
However, recent evidence presented in this review and others suggests that thyroid axis dysregulation also plays a major role in sexual dysfunction that cannot be overlooked.64 Unfortunately, well-designed studies that describe the prevalence, pathophysiology, and outcomes of patients with sexual dysfunction in the setting of thyroid disease are severely lacking.
Despite the limitations on available studies, several reports in select patient populations have allowed researchers to estimate the prevalence and suggest potential mechanisms for how thyroid disease causes sexual dysfunction.Recent studies have demonstrated that the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in patients with hypothyroidism is as high as 59–63% and 22–46% in men and women, respectively. The rates of sexual dysfunction in patients with hyperthyroidism are similarly striking: 48–77% and 44–60% in men and women, respectively. suggesting that thyroid disease may be a particularly relevant etiology of sexual health problems in young adults.
The effect of thyroid disorders on performance and libido
- Painful Sex
Thyroid disease leads to vaginal dryness in women. If the vagina is dry, sexual intercourse will be unpleasant and as a result, sexual desire will disappear.
- Decreased testosterone
When you have a thyroid disorder, you might have low testosterone. This also can lower your libido. While testosterone is often thought of as a “man’s” hormone, women actually produce it, too. It’s also responsible for varying degrees of sex drive in men and women.
- Depression and mood disorders
Both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism can contribute to issues like depression and fatigue, and both of these issues can lead to low sex drive.
- Ejaculation disorders
Whether premature or delayed, ejaculation problems can be frustrating for both men and women. Both of these issues can be brought on by problems with the thyroid. The Sexual Medicine Society of North America (SMSNA) reports that hypothyroidism increases the chance of delayed ejaculation, while hyperthyroidism increases the chance of premature ejaculation.
- Erectile Dysfunction
Thyroid problems can create a hormonal imbalance, causing men to have trouble getting or keeping an erection, according to the SMSNA. It’s fairly common, especially among men with hypothyroidism.
Perspective
Fortunately, most sexual problems go away when a thyroid disorder is treated. Even problems that persist can be managed using many of the same strategies that are effective for sexual dysfunction in general.
By improving awareness of the link between thyroid disease and sexual dysfunction, sexual medicine physicians may sooner identify patients whose sexual symptoms can be remedied by treating an underlying thyroid disorder.
References
https://www.smr.jsexmed.org/article/S2050-0521(18)30059-3/fulltext
https://www.verywellhealth.com/sexual-dysfunction-thyroid-disease-3231814
https://www.boostthyroid.com/blog/2019/1/4/sexual-disorders-and-an-underactive-thyroid
