What are the causes of “loss of libido”?

  Sexual desire is a variety of stimuli inside and outside the body, causing sexual excitement, and then attempt to complete a desire for physical and mental union with the opposite sex, including the desire for contact and swelling relief (also known as the desire for sexual intercourse). Sexual desire is one of the human instincts, and is also a vital part of the entire process of male sexual activity. Sexual desire is usually expressed as sexual hunger and sexual power, and is often satisfied through sexual intercourse. Sexual desire itself is a multifactorial phenomenon that reflects not only the biological sense of the drive to release sexual tension through the act of sex, but also the influence of the neuroendocrine system, cognitive and emotional, interrelationships with people, and such things as culture, religion, and education on the process of human development. Sexual desire is both driven by instinct and not easy to control, but at the same time it is a higher level of human mental activity, which can be controlled by the will. Therefore, sexual desire is also a kind of physiological, psychological and social trinity phenomenon.  Factors affecting sexual desire are: psychosocial factors, mental and emotional factors, endocrine factors, certain drugs and food factors, genetic factors, age and physical factors, as well as religious and cultural factors. Modern medical research has confirmed that: human libido and the body’s dopamine, prolactin, 5-hydroxytryptamine, a-adrenergic blockers, testosterone relationship is very close. Sexual desire varies greatly from person to person and from person to person in different age groups, in different physical conditions, in different psychological states and in different social environments. Therefore, it is difficult to test the change of libido with a quantitative standard, and in fact, there is no such standard. Clinically, the simple change of libido is rare, and most of them coexist with other sexual dysfunction, or are complications of certain diseases. In this chapter, we will discuss hypoactive and hypersexuality without other diseases, mainly due to libido changes.  The treatment of abnormal sexual desire should target sex education and sex counseling, and use various forms of psycho-psychotherapy, such as psychoanalysis, behavioral therapy, cognitive therapy, and suggestive hypnosis, to reduce the patient’s tension and anxiety, reduce repression, and enhance the sense of security and relaxation. At the same time, for the situation of the patient’s spouse, strengthen the communication and understanding of both parties to achieve cooperation and tacit understanding, so that the recovery of the disease can achieve twice the effect with half the effort.  The lowlihead of sexuality is a state characterized by a decrease in the level of sexual receptivity and initial sexual behavior, which is characterized by an adult man’s persistent or repeated disinterest in sexual fantasies and activities, or a complete lack of them, and a lack of desire for sexual intercourse under effective sexual stimulation. Most of the patients have a normal sexual desire in the past, but due to various factors inside and outside the body, they have an inappropriate and discordant sexual desire that is incompatible with their own age, a reduced level of sexual expression and sexual activity, and a varying degree of suppression of sexual desire. The frequency of sexual activity is low, such as less than 2 times a month or less, and some of them, although slightly more often, do not ask for it, but are forced to do it under the pressure of the female partner, and are often accompanied by impotence. At the same time, there is a lack of subjective desire for sexual activity, including sexual intercourse and sexual fantasy, a lack of awareness of sexual activity, and a lack of frustration when sex is deprived. There are also cases of situational hypersexuality, in which the interest in sexual activity with one partner is affected, while with another partner or in other situations (such as masturbation) the sexual desire is as usual, and the cause is psychosocial. It should be noted that there are individual differences between people, and the requirements, frequency and habits of sexual life are not the same, those couples who have different interests in sexual life, such as the female sex drive is strong, especially in older couples, and the male sex drive is relatively weak, is not hypoactive. Currently, the incidence of hypoactive sexual desire has increased in the general population. Since the patients themselves have no demand for sex, there is little meaning in treating or not treating them as far as they are concerned. Most of the patients come to the clinic reluctantly under the dissatisfaction of their spouses or even propose divorce, thus making clinical treatment very difficult.