Does PCOS Cause Low Sex Drive?

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) seems to find a way to impact pretty much every aspect of a Cyster’s life. If you’ve been in the thick of your PCOS journey like me, this isn’t news to you! PCOS is a hormonal condition that affects women of reproductive age, and since the core issues of PCOS are inflammation, hormonal imbalance, and insulin resistance (depending on your PCOS type), PCOS finds a way to affect pretty much every system of the body. 

Yep . . . you heard that right. The circulatory system, digestive system, immune system, and reproductive system can all be impacted by PCOS. Many women with PCOS find themselves wondering if PCOS also affects sexual desire. Unsurprisingly, it does! However, if you’re looking for solutions on how to support your health and heal your symptoms, you’re in the right place.

Today, we’re going to break down how PCOS can influence libido and what you can do to reverse this difficult-to-deal-with symptom naturally! 

Does PCOS Cause Low Sex Drive?

Yes! PCOS can cause low sex drive. One of the main ways PCOS influences your libido is via elevated androgens (AKA male sex hormones), which disrupts your other sex hormones, too. The extra testosterone can result in low sex drive, difficulty achieving arousal, and vaginal dryness. These symptoms can actually cause sex to feel painful. Plus, ovarian cysts, pelvic pain, and inflammation from PCOS can also make intercourse difficult and uncomfortable. 

Those are the direct effects of PCOS on sexual desire, but it can go deeper than that. Mental health is also a common struggle with this condition. Not only do elevated cortisol levels (which are stress hormones) and other hormonal dysregulation increase your chances of experiencing depression and anxiety, but there are other emotional factors of PCOS, too. 

Often, Cysters experience low self-esteem and reduced libido because of the symptoms of PCOS that change their appearance. Things like male pattern baldness, excess facial hair growth (hirsutism), acne, weight gain, and skin darkening can all make a Cyster feel less than desirable. (Which breaks my heart, because this is 100% not your fault and there is a way to reverse all of that!)

Is Low Sex Drive A Symptom of PCOS?

A lack of desire for sex can definitely stem from PCOS. Between both physical and mental difficulties, maintaining sexual desire and enjoying sex can be a big challenge for us Cysters! I understand that this doesn’t only impact you but your partner as well. Luckily, there are lots of ways you can fix the core issues of your PCOS and relieve all your symptoms including improved sex drive! 

For more on sex and PCOS, listen to the episode of A Cyster and Her Mister called Is This Normal? Sex, Libido, and PCOS with Dr. Jolene Brighten. 

Here’s how to increase sexual desire with PCOS:

How To Increase Sex Drive With PCOS

Maintain a balanced diet. 

Nutrition is so powerful! It can improve all the root issues of PCOS including hormonal dysregulation, insulin resistance, and inflammation that could be leading to your low sex drive. As you regulate sex hormones, you’ll likely see your periods regulate, your mood improve, and your sex life begin to flourish! Vaginal dryness, pelvic pain, and low libido can all be reduced, too, using an intentional PCOS-friendly meal plan. 

I recommend a gluten- and dairy-free anti-inflammatory diet that’ll target the core issues of your PCOS. Try it for 30 days and see how you feel! You can find recipes and meal plans on The Cysterhood app to get you started! 

Do regular slow-weighted workouts.

Exercise is huge for your sex life! The right workouts can directly benefit your sex life by enhancing your mood, reducing stress, increasing your energy levels, and boosting your libido. Plus, exercising and improving your health and weight can have a positive impact on your self-esteem, too!

For PCOS, I recommend slow-weighted workouts that won’t elevate your heart rate and pump you full of stress hormones. Doing high-intensity workouts or running for hours may actually be contributing to your other PCOS symptoms too. Instead, low-intensity workouts like yoga, pilates, or weight lifting can be supportive for your PCOS while helping you reach your health goals. Here’s more on the dos and don’ts of working out with PCOS, but you can also find full PCOS workout videos on The Cysterhood app. 

Reduce your stress levels. 

When you’re stressed, your sex drive tanks. However, women with PCOS naturally run with more stress as their bodies produce excess cortisol. This is one of the main contributors to poor mental health, inflammation, and fatigue in women with PCOS. 

So, to develop a natural desire for sexual activity again, it’s important to get your stress under control. Exercise and diet are a good start, but also consider things like meditation, getting out in nature, practicing self-care, and more to help you alleviate stress and hopefully reclaim your sex life with improved mental health! 

Get plenty of sleep at night. 

Sleep is essential for proper hormone regulation. There are important routine processes our bodies undergo while we sleep that regulate sex hormones, stress hormones, and even insulin. So, when we don’t sleep well, we’re depriving our bodies of incomplete processes that maintain our health! In addition, worsened sleep directly results in impaired sexual desire.

To support your body, try to get at least 8 hours of good quality sleep a night. It can be hard to get a good night’s sleep with PCOS, but improved sleep hygiene (such as by creating an unwinding routine) can improve a lot of our symptoms.

Stay hydrated with water and herbal tea.

Hydration is key to any healthy body. However, it can specifically help with PCOS low sex drive by increasing blood flow for better arousal and lubrication, improving hormone regulation, boosting energy levels, and enhancing mood! Plus, staying hydrated supports many of the systems in our bodies, which can help enhance our diet and exercise to make our goals easier to achieve.

If you want some variety, herbal tea is also great for supporting hormones and relieving PCOS symptoms. For improving libido, I recommend Ovafit’s Testosterone Relief Tea which is a strategic blend of herbal teas to lower high androgen levels and support hormones overall! 

Limit your caffeine and alcohol intake.  

Speaking of drinking, here are two beverages you might want to limit. Caffeine is basically liquid stress. In your bloodstream, caffeine elevates your cortisol levels, which remember, are already too high in many women with PCOS! Not only can this spiral into other hormonal imbalances and make you feel wired and anxious, but demanding your body to produce so much cortisol actually makes you feel more tired due to adrenal fatigue.

Alcohol is also not ideal if you want to increase your sex drive. Though “loosening up” with a few drinks might seem like a good idea, it’s not great for your short-term or long-term health goals. Alcohol can disrupt sex hormone levels, worsen insulin resistance, worsen inflammation, and reduce liver function, which is essential for healthy hormone regulation. 

This doesn’t mean you can never have a glass of wine, but just be mindful of how regular caffeine or alcohol routines could be working against you. But also remember that we should never strive for being 100% perfect all the time (it’s just not sustainable!) There is room for moderation and “living life” while having healthy PCOS journeys.

Take the right PCOS-friendly supplements. 

There are lots of supplements that have been shown to promote PCOS healing and improve sexual functioning! Just make sure the supplements are high-quality, third-party tested, and formulated with PCOS in mind like my supplement line, Ovafit! 

Some of the best supplements for PCOS are inositol, zinc, magnesium, omega-3, and vitamin D3. Having PCOS means we are more prone to specific nutrient deficiencies. By targeting these with the proper dosages, we can continue to support our bodies to carry out the processes they need. You can get all of these and more with the Ovafit Metabolism Plus bundle and Ovasitol powder. Check it out if you’d like to learn more!

Try out acupuncture. 

Acupuncture has been shown in recent studies to have lots of real health benefits, especially for reversing our PCOS symptoms! Particularly, acupuncture can regulate hormone levels, help to reduce stress, and improve blood flow…which are all connected to improved libido. Here’s more on how acupuncture can help with PCOS. It’s worth a try!  

Get a consultation with a pelvic floor physical therapist. 

Physical pain during sex could be due to vaginal dryness, but it could also be due to an issue with the pelvic floor (which is a group of muscles around our pelvis). If you are having a lot of pain, it’s worth getting a consultation with a pelvic floor physical therapist (PT) who may be able to relieve pelvic pain and heal the pelvic floor for a better sex life! These PTs can be a game changer when it comes to sexual function in women, and visiting one can provide you a holistic approach to your healing process.

P.S. Commonly misunderstood on the internet, pelvic floor therapy and kegels are not the same things. Please, don’t do any pelvic floor exercises without the direction of a professional.

Prioritize self-care. 

Your mental health, self-esteem, and body image can all be so important to your sex life. Don’t underestimate the power of simply taking care of yourself. This looks different for everyone, but take some inventory of your life and see how you can practice self-love, self-compassion, and self-care. You deserve to feel positive, confident, and whole! 

Communicate openly with your partner. 

The first step to sexual satisfaction in any relationship is open communication. Talk to your partner about your struggles, expectations, and PCOS journey. And, let them discuss their challenges and expectations, too! This can help you to relieve pressure, plan for special encounters, and embark on the healing journey together! As your sex drive improves, this open communication will be key to increasing sexual activity and getting back in the game. If you are sharing about your PCOS for the first time with your partner, feel free to use our blogs, posts, and podcast episodes as tools to help you!

PCOS can cause low sex drive, but there are natural ways to improve your symptoms! 

A healthy sex life is no small thing, and it doesn’t have to be something you have to continue struggling with because of PCOS. You deserve the best in all aspects of life! To improve your sex drive, it takes understanding your body and knowing what options you have to help you to the root cause of your PCOS symptoms. 

Try these lifestyle changes to reverse your PCOS and reclaim your sex life! And, for more natural healing methods, check out the PCOS Weight Loss blog!