How To Increase Libido in Women With Low Sex Drive

Your hormones are only part of the story.

“As well as that, desire can be heavily shaped by stress, mood, body image, and even past experiences,” April adds.

Low Libido Symptoms

Women's sexual arousal: effects of high alcohol dosages and self-control instructions. Hormones and behavior, 59(5), 730–738. Smoking is associated with worse mood on stressful days: results from a national diary study. Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, 36(3), 259–269. Sexual satisfaction is associated with sexual communication, mood setting, sexual variety, oral sex, orgasm, and sex frequency in a national U.S.

7: Make sure you’re getting enough sleep

study. Journal of Sex Research, 54(2), 186-201. Sexual Desire Discrepancy: A Position Statement of the European Society for Sexual Medicine. Group mindfulness-based therapy significantly improves sexual desire in women. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 57, 43-54.

2: Spice up your intimacy routine

An investigation of the relationship between physical fitness, self-concept, and sexual functioning. Journal of education and health promotion, 7, 57. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 7(2), 964-970. Role of hormones in hypoactive sexual desire disorder and current treatment. Journal of the Turkish German Gynecological Association, 18(4), 210–218. Which is why the best answer to how to increase libido in women is rarely one magic fix. It’s usually a whole-system reset that involves supporting sleep, stress, emotional safety and nervous system regulation so your body actually has the capacity for desire again.

Low libido in women is rarely about “not loving your partner enough” or “not trying hard enough.” April Maria sees this on repeat: “There are several reasons a woman may be experiencing a lack of interest in sex or intimacy, be it with themselves or within their relationships. It can be really frustrating to experience this, especially if intimacy and sex play a crucial role in supporting your overall health and wellbeing.” If you’re asking what causes low sex drive in women, these are some of the most common reasons and they often overlap.

A few exceptions

Increasing women's sexual desire: The comparative effectiveness of estrogens and androgens. Prescribing testosterone and DHEA: The role of androgens in women. Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine, 88(1), 35-43. Mayo Clinic proceedings, 91(9), 1280–1286. A review of the positive and negative effects of cardiovascular drugs on sexual function: a proposed table for use in clinical practice.

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Netherlands heart journal : monthly journal of the Netherlands Society of Cardiology and the Netherlands Heart Foundation, 22(1), 11–19. Female Sexual Dysfunction: Natural and Complementary Treatments. Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing), 16(1), 19–23. Family Nurse Practitioner Internship - Saint Louis University, 1999 Family Nurse Practitioner Internship - Saint Louis University, 1999 APRN, Certified Nurse Practitioner, North Dakota, 2024 APRN, Certified Nurse Practitioner, North Dakota, 2024 APRN, Certified Nurse Practitioner, Rhode Island, 2024 APRN, Certified Nurse Practitioner, Rhode Island, 2024 Family Nurse Practitioner - American Nurses Credentialing Center, 2000 Family Nurse Practitioner - American Nurses Credentialing Center, 2000 Lean Six Sigma, Green Belt Certification, 2015 Lean Six Sigma, Green Belt Certification, 2015 Family Practice Medicine, specializing in chronic disease management (diabetes, hypertension, obesity). Additional support and treatment of mental health diagnosis and men’s and women’s health.

Psychological Causes

Family Practice Medicine, specializing in chronic disease management (diabetes, hypertension, obesity). Caring for the whole person—understanding that true health extends beyond physical symptoms—has always been central to my work. As a nurse and family nurse practitioner, I’m passionate about empowering individuals to live their healthiest lives, physically, emotionally, and socially. Delivering compassionate, ed tablets comprehensive care is not only my profession—it’s my purpose. In my spare time, I enjoy staying active and connected to nature through skiing, hiking, and spending time outdoors. Stress and burnout: “Life stressors such as work, family or financial worries.” When your nervous system is overloaded, desire often drops because your body is prioritising safety and survival. Medication, drugs, or alcohol: “Medication, drugs or alcohol use can affect hormone levels.” If libido changed after a new prescription, it’s worth discussing alternatives or adjustments with your healthcare provider.

When to Seek Treatment

April explains that desire is shaped by both hormones and brain chemistry. “Biologically, our libido is impacted by a complex mix of hormones like oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone, as well as brain chemicals like dopamine and oxytocin.” Think of these as your body’s internal messaging system, influencing everything from energy and mood to bonding, sensitivity and how rewarding intimacy feels. The key point is that these signals are constantly shifting. “All of these hormones fluctuate at different points in our cycle and in our lives, in turn, affecting desire,” April says. That’s why low libido during perimenopause, postpartum low libido, and libido dips during high-stress periods are so common because your internal environment is changing. Body image and confidence: “Body image, pregnancy, confidence and even how we feel about our genitalia can impact our libido.” Libido tends to rise when you feel more at home in your body. Hormonal shifts: “Hormonal changes such as our cycle, perimenopause, and menopause can impact our physical and biological experience of libido, affecting everything from energy and mood to lubrication, sensitivity, and how easily we feel desire.” This is a big one for low libido in perimenopause and menopause.

How to Add These to Your Diet

“When we talk about ‘libido,’ it can be helpful to remove the word drive or ‘sex drive.’ Why? because a drive implies that sex should be something urgent and biologically pressing, like hunger.” That framing makes low desire feel like failure, when it’s often just your body responding intelligently to context. April is also clear that sexuality doesn’t always behave like a spontaneous urge, especially for women. “The phrase 'sex drive' implies that it is an essential urge, but sexuality rarely works that way, especially for women,” she says. “In fact, desire is often highly responsive to context, and factors such as emotional safety, hormones, connection, touch, relationship quality and wellbeing influence our ability to access it.” In other words, if you’re wondering why your libido is low, the answer is often less about what’s wrong and more about what may have changed.

6. Do the “sex-flex”

That’s why April reframes the story many women tell themselves. “So when women feel they ‘lack a sex drive,’ it’s not that the engine is broken, but in fact it can be a combination of unmet emotional, physical, or relational needs.” A lot of libido anxiety comes from expecting desire to arrive first, perfectly timed. April says one buy blue pill of the most helpful distinctions is understanding desire versus arousal. “When I speak with my clients, I find it supportive to help them distinguish between desire and arousal, as a person may have arousal before they have desire or desire without arousal,” she explains. If you’ve ever thought, “I’m not in the mood, but once we start it’s good” or the reverse… you’re not unusual, you’re human.

4. Work With a Therapist

“Desire is the mental or emotional interest in sex, while arousal is the body’s physiological response, such as genital sensation and lubrication,” says April. Sometimes your body responds first or sometimes your mind does. The issue is that our culture sells one story with instant desire and no warm up. “It's important to remember that whatever comes first is normal and healthy, yet often misunderstood in a culture that prioritises spontaneous desire that shows up instantly, with or without stimulation.” For many women, libido improves when the pressure to be “spontaneous” disappears. If your libido seems to change across your cycle, after having a baby, or during perimenopause, it’s not random or in your head. Pain or discomfort: “Sexual pain or discomfort can create a fear of exploring sex again.

• Engage in regular cardiovascular activity to improve blood flow to reproductive organs.
• Avoid high-stress environments that can negatively impact libido.
• Use sensual touch and massage to increase comfort and arousal.
• Explore new forms of intimacy beyond intercourse to rekindle interest.
• Stay consistent with healthy habits, including diet, exercise, and sleep.
• Be patient; increasing libido often takes time with lifestyle adjustments.
• Educate yourself about female sexual health to better understand your body.

If it feels painful or uncomfortable, it may be safer to avoid it.” Pain is never something to push through; it’s a cue to seek support.

• Incorporate foods rich in healthy fats like avocados and nuts for hormonal production.
• Practice positive affirmations to boost confidence and sexual self-esteem.
• Use music or ambient sounds to create a romantic atmosphere.
• Limit exposure to hormonal disruptors like BPA and parabens.
• Schedule intimate moments to prioritize and foster desire intentionally.
• Seek professional help for medical conditions affecting libido.
• Keep a journal to track factors influencing your sexual desire and habits.

Relationship dynamics: “Relationship issues such as mismatched libidos, conflict, emotional safety and interests in what sex looks like can cause low desire for sex.” Emotional safety isn’t a nice-to-have; it’s a libido prerequisite.

8. Other foods

I’m also an avid St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan and find joy in reading, sewing, baking, and creative hobbies that keep me inspired outside of work. If your sex drive has gone quiet, you’re not broken. You’re likely under-rested, overstimulated, or hormonally out of sync, here’s how to shift it. Valentine’s Day has a way of turning libido into a talking point… whether you’re feeling it or faking it.

5. Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor

If your sex drive has gone quiet lately, you’re not broken. You’re likely under-rested, overstimulated or hormonally out of sync. Low libido in women isn’t a personality flaw. Desire is shaped by your hormones, brain chemistry, stress load, sleep quality, blood sugar stability and whether your nervous system feels safe enough to switch out of survival mode. When cortisol is high, sleep is low and your mental tabs are permanently open, libido is usually the first thing to disappear… not because something’s wrong, but because your body is prioritising something else.

Hormonal changes influence sexual desire

The problem is, most advice still treats libido like a switch you can flip. But if what you actually need is nervous system regulation, hormone support, or more sleep, those tips miss the point. With Intimacy Coach April Maria’s expert guidance, we’re unpacking what causes low libido in women, what the evidence says about increasing sex drive naturally and which things are genuinely worth your time. If you’re wondering how to increase libido in women, it helps to start by ditching the idea that libido is a fixed drive you either have or don’t. April explains why this language can backfire.