Low sex drive in men: common causes

Most men notice it long before they mention it.

Sex drive moves around over a life, and a quiet period is not automatically a problem. A change that persists, and that bothers you, is worth understanding rather than waiting out.

Here is what sits behind it, and what an assessment actually involves.

The short version

• Low sex drive is common. Australian health information puts it at up to 1 in 5 men at some point.
• It has many possible causes, and usually more than one is in play.
• Stress, mood, sleep, alcohol and prescription medicines are the most common contributors.
• It is not the same as erectile difficulty, and the distinction matters to a doctor.
• A persistent change is worth an appointment. There is nothing to be embarrassed about here.

What causes low sex drive in men?

Low sex drive has many possible causes, and they rarely arrive alone. The most common are psychological and relationship factors including stress, low mood and anxiety, poor or broken sleep, alcohol and smoking, side effects of prescription medicines, and ongoing medical conditions. Because these overlap and compound, the same experience can have very different explanations from one man to the next.

Mood, stress and relationship factors

Australian health information is direct on this: psychological factors such as depression, anxiety and relationship problems are often the cause.

That is worth sitting with, because it is the group men are least likely to raise. Sustained work stress, a new baby, grief, money pressure and unresolved conflict at home all affect desire, and none of them are character flaws.

If low mood or anxiety is part of your picture, please raise it with your GP or a mental health professional. If you are in crisis, call 000, or Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Prescription medicines

This is the cause most often missed, and one of the easiest to identify.

Antidepressants are the most clearly documented. Australian health information notes that antidepressants can affect sexual function, including low libido, delayed orgasm and erectile difficulty. Reported rates vary widely depending on the medicine.

Other medicines associated with reduced sex drive include antipsychotic medicines, some blood pressure medicines, and chemotherapy medicines.

Two things to do with that information. Take a full list of everything you take to your appointment, including anything over the counter. And do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own. Raise it with the doctor who prescribed it, because there is usually more than one option to discuss.

Sleep, alcohol and smoking

Poor sleep and sleep disorders affect sexual function, and the effect compounds over months. If your sleep is broken or unrefreshing, sleep apnoea symptoms in men is worth reading, because it is common and frequently missed.

Drinking too much alcohol lowers sex drive. So does smoking. Neither is a moral point, and both are worth mentioning honestly at an appointment because they change what a doctor looks at next.

Ongoing medical conditions

Living with a long-term condition affects desire through several routes at once: tiredness, pain, stress, mood changes and the medicines used to manage it.

Chronic pain and heart conditions are commonly cited. Tiredness on its own is a major contributor, and it has its own long list of causes. Our guide to why men are always tired works through those.

Low sex drive and erectile difficulty are different

These get bundled together and they are different things.

Low sex drive is about desire and interest. Erectile difficulty is about the physical response. A man can have either alone, or both together, and the causes are not always the same.

Describing which one you are experiencing, and when it started, is genuinely useful to the doctor assessing you. Take a moment to work out which it is before the appointment.

When to see a doctor

Book an appointment if:

• The change has lasted more than a few weeks
• It is bothering you, or your partner
• It arrived alongside tiredness, low mood, poor sleep or other symptoms
• It started around the time a new medicine did
• It is affecting your relationship

There is nothing unusual about raising this, and there is nothing to be embarrassed about here.

What an assessment involves

It starts with a consultation. Your doctor talks through your history, when the change started, what else was happening at the time, your sleep, your mood, your alcohol intake and every medicine you take. They examine you where that is relevant.

From there they decide whether blood tests are warranted and which ones fit your picture. Nothing is decided before you have spoken to a doctor.

Sometimes the answer is a medicine that can be reviewed. Sometimes it is sleep, or mood, or a period of sustained stress. Sometimes it is something found on a blood test. Often it is two or three of those together.

If deemed medically appropriate, a doctor may recommend a treatment plan. Treatment is one possible outcome. Advice, monitoring, referral, further investigation or no treatment are others. Individual results vary based on your unique biology. Assessment findings do not guarantee a particular outcome.

What to bring

• Roughly when the change started
• Whether it was gradual or sudden
• Whether it is desire, erectile difficulty, or both
• Every medicine and supplement you take
• Your usual sleep and alcohol pattern
• Anything else that changed around the same time

Where to go from here

If tiredness arrived at the same time, why men are always tired covers the causes worth checking.

You know how you feel. Our job is to help you understand why, and what your options are. We have been looking after Australian men since 2010.

Book a free consultation and talk it through with us first.

Sources

• Healthdirect, “Loss of male libido”: healthdirect.gov.au
• Healthy Male, “Low sex drive”: healthymale.org.au
• Healthy Male, “Antidepressants and sexual dysfunction in men”: healthymale.org.au
• Australian Prescriber, “Drug-induced sexual dysfunction in men and women”: australianprescriber.tg.org.au

Common questions

What causes low sex drive in men?

Low sex drive has many possible causes. The common ones are stress, low mood and anxiety, relationship factors, poor or broken sleep, alcohol and smoking, some prescription medicines, and ongoing medical conditions. More than one usually applies at once, which is why it is assessed as a whole picture.

How common is low libido in men?

It is common. Australian health information describes low sex drive as affecting up to 1 in 5 men at some point in their lives. It is one of the symptoms men are least likely to raise with a doctor, which is part of why it goes unaddressed for so long.

Can antidepressants lower your sex drive?

Yes, this is a recognised side effect. Australian health information notes that antidepressants can affect sexual function, including low libido. Antipsychotic medicines, some blood pressure medicines and chemotherapy medicines can also reduce sex drive. Never stop a prescribed medicine on your own; raise it with the doctor who prescribed it.

Is low sex drive the same as erectile difficulty?

No. Low sex drive is about desire and interest. Erectile difficulty is about the physical response. They can occur together or separately, and they can have different causes, so it is worth describing which one you are experiencing when you see a doctor.

When should I see a doctor about low sex drive?

Book an appointment if the change has lasted more than a few weeks, is bothering you or your partner, or comes alongside other symptoms such as tiredness, low mood or poor sleep. A persistent change is worth assessing rather than waiting to see whether it passes.