One of the little known side effects for women taking certain drugs or suffering from some medical conditions is a reduction in the female libido, sexual performance and sexual enjoyment.
Some of the culprits include hypertension (high blood pressure), cardiovascular disease (heart disease), diabetes, high cholesterol, neurological disorders, and stress.
Hypertension (high blood pressure) and cardiovascular disease (heart disease) can play a factor in robbing a woman of her libido, her ability to perform, and overall sexual enjoyment.
In both cases the heart has to work harder to deliver oxygen via red blood cells to the muscles and brain.
Lower levels of oxygen in the blood means that muscles and brain function are impeded, causing an overall feeling of fatigue and mental malaise.
When the body is tired, neurological stimulation and reaction times are slow, working together to lower desire.
Diabetes (Type 2 or adult onset -- the most common type) is a condition which can damage the pancreas, decreasing production of the hormone insulin, or which can result in the body being unable to adequately utilize the insulin the body does produce to break down glucose.
Accompanying untreated diabetes is a host of other problems, including heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, fatigue and neuropathy (loss of feeling or sensation in various parts of the body).
The latter three in particular can all cause a woman to feel less inclined towards sexual activity.
High cholesterol can lead to similar problems, with the added note that the drugs used to treat it, in and of themselves, can lead to Alzheimer's-like symptoms and neuropathies (loss of feeling, including those related to sexual enjoyment).
In addition to the same symptoms as those experienced by people suffering from hypertension and cardiovascular disease, statin drugs are a little-known cause of muscle weakness and fatigue and lead to kidney failure because they break down healthy muscles, clogging the kidneys with muscle cells.
Neurological disorders (like those experienced following a stroke - loss of sensation throughout various parts of the body, loss of coordination and loss of mental function) are also problematic in the ways they affect the female libido.
If certain damage occurs in some neurological pathways as a result of these disorders, the ability to feel stimulation or desire can be permanently decreased or lost forever.
Stress, whatever its origin, is an enormous factor causing the decrease of female libido.
The body naturally puts survival ahead of pleasure, so anything which causes the "fight-or-flight" response for long periods of time can tax your adrenal system.
Adrenal glands, over-burdened through constant stress, can rob your body of the building blocks it requires to make estrogen and testosterone, which are crucial to creating desire and sexual response.
High cortisol levels, sustained for long enough periods, can destroy healthy muscles and bone, slow down the ability to heal and promote normal cell regeneration, pirate the biochemicals needed to make other vital hormones (including sexual-related hormones) , impair digestion, metabolism and mental function, interfere with healthy endocrine function, and generally act to weaken your immune system.
As you can see, any or all of these medical conditions can be a problem in the areas of libido, performance, and sexual enjoyment for women.
If you are experiencing a loss in these areas due to medical or psychological issues, be sure to consult with your health care provider.
He or she can work with you to help you find the base cause of your problem and work with you to resolve it to your benefit.