Conteraceptive pills & your libido
New York (IANS) Women who use contraceptive pills may lose their sex drive up to a year after they stop taking it, says a study.
Loss of libido, muted or non-existent orgasms and painful intercourse have long been known as side effects of the pill. A previous research had, however, suggested a woman's sex drive could return to normal within four weeks of discontinuation.
But the seven years study by researchers led by Dr Claudia Panzer, an endocrinologist in Denver, Colorado shows that a chemical produced by the pill to stop ovulation continues to suppress testosterone levels - central to desire in men and women - for up to a year after women stop taking it, reported the online edition of The Sunday Times.
Women on the pill had four times the level of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), which stops testosterone from circulating in the body, as those who had never taken the pill, it said.
The research published this month in the Journal of Sexual Medicine was based on 124 pre-menopausal women attending a clinic for sexual dysfunctions.
Half the women had used the pill, 39 had stopped using it and 23 had never taken it. Scientists measured their SHBG levels every three months for a year.
"It is important for physicians prescribing oral contraceptives to point out to patients the potential sexual side effects," Panzer said.
However a spokeswoman for Britain's Family Planning Association urged caution in interpreting the findings. "It is difficult to quantify what a person's sex drive is," she said.
She added: "It may be influenced by a range of lifestyle factors. Whether you are stressed, what you have eaten or how much you have drunk can all affect your sex drive.
"Whether you have children and what ages they are can also have an effect. Our problem is that none of these factors was quantified in this research."
Loss of libido, muted or non-existent orgasms and painful intercourse have long been known as side effects of the pill. A previous research had, however, suggested a woman's sex drive could return to normal within four weeks of discontinuation.
But the seven years study by researchers led by Dr Claudia Panzer, an endocrinologist in Denver, Colorado shows that a chemical produced by the pill to stop ovulation continues to suppress testosterone levels - central to desire in men and women - for up to a year after women stop taking it, reported the online edition of The Sunday Times.
Women on the pill had four times the level of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), which stops testosterone from circulating in the body, as those who had never taken the pill, it said.
The research published this month in the Journal of Sexual Medicine was based on 124 pre-menopausal women attending a clinic for sexual dysfunctions.
Half the women had used the pill, 39 had stopped using it and 23 had never taken it. Scientists measured their SHBG levels every three months for a year.
"It is important for physicians prescribing oral contraceptives to point out to patients the potential sexual side effects," Panzer said.
However a spokeswoman for Britain's Family Planning Association urged caution in interpreting the findings. "It is difficult to quantify what a person's sex drive is," she said.
She added: "It may be influenced by a range of lifestyle factors. Whether you are stressed, what you have eaten or how much you have drunk can all affect your sex drive.
"Whether you have children and what ages they are can also have an effect. Our problem is that none of these factors was quantified in this research."
posted by DR. BAHL at
8:16 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home