Hypothyroidism: 5 Tips To Revive Your Low Libido And Boost Your Sex Life

There's a limited amount of studies on the relationship between hypothyroidism and decreased sexual drive, but some research shows that an underactive thyroid is connected to several sexually-related disorders, including decreased libido.

These studies found that even the smallest decrease in thyroid levels, even if they're still considered normal, can affect sexual drive in the female population, as well as lead to weight gain, tiredness, and mood disorders including depression.

Men can be affected as well. Research has shown that men with an underactive thyroid are more likely to suffer from a decreased libido and erectile dysfunction. Most men with hypothyroidism experience delays in ejaculation.

Connection between underactive thyroid and sex drive

Underactive thyroid disorder shows its symptoms rather slowly and they are often attributed to aging, but they can be serious and affect many aspects of our health.

Decreased sex drive is more commonly associated with hypothyroidism than hyperthyroidism. When it comes to underactive thyroid, a person's metabolism slows down, which affects the reproductive part of the body too. The adrenal gland responsible for producing hormones and converting them into the sex hormones slows down as well. Men and women go through a decrease in their levels of testosterone and estrogen. Also, people suffering from autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto's disease go through a lot of inflammation.

If the body is inflamed, it makes more of the stress hormone called cortisol, which then leads to a decrease in the production of sex hormones. Studies have shown that cortisol affects testosterone production – increased cortisol leads to decrease in the production of the other hormone. This is known as a seesaw connection.

Good libido is an important part of happy relationships and happy families, so it's hard to have normal relationship if a person has decreased sex drive. People can get frustrated and worried, but this problem doesn't have to last forever – there are solutions that can help you and your partner to get past this problem.

1. Speak to your physician

If you have problems with libido, you should speak to your doctor about it. This is crucial for people with underactive thyroid who take hormone replacement drugs. Your physician can suggest different solutions to increase your sex drive in combination with hypothyroidism medications.

Trying different methods to increase your libido can negatively affect absorption of your medications and your underactive thyroid in general. A good thing to know is that when your hormone levels are normal, all bodily functions will probably go back to normal as well.

2. Try supplementing your diet

There are supplements for basically anything nowadays, including decreased sex drive. Supplements that boost sex drive are in fact quite popular. There are natural supplements containing spices, plants, herbs, and various vitamins that can boost your libido in a natural way.

Here's a list of some great dietary supplements that can help to increase sex drive and are also good for underactive thyroid:

Vitamins of the vitamin B family prevent excessive breakdown of serotonin and dopamine when you're stressed out, which means that you are energized for a longer period.
Zinc prevents the body from turning testosterone into estrogen and also increases the production of testosterone.
Omega-3 normalizes production of estrogen and progesterone, which also affects the production of dopamine which increases the production of nitric oxide. This is important because dilated blood vessels lead to better orgasms.
Magnesium is also good for increasing your sex drive. It stops testosterone from binding onto proteins, which means that more of the hormone will remain in the bloodstream, leading to a better libido. Magnesium can also battle anxiety and depression which eventually leads to loving yourself and others more.
Probiotics are another thing that doesn't influence libido directly, but can boost your mental health, which also affects our sex drive. Several case studies have connected mental disorders such as depression to imbalances in gut bacteria, and probiotics are known to regulate all kinds of stomach problems.

Before you decide to take any dietary supplements, make sure to speak to your physician.

3. Find time to exercise

Being physically active aids not only to our libido, but to many other bodily functions such as metabolism, blood sugar regulation, mood and blood flow, among other benefits. Whatever you decide to do to remain active is better than no workout, including the things you enjoy on a daily basis, such as walking.

People with an underactive thyroid often feel sluggish and tired, which can mean lack of willpower to even get up in the morning, let alone head to the gym. This is why it's recommended to start with easier forms of training such as walking, dancing, or jogging. Water aerobic is also a good workout which won't leave you all drained.

Whatever you choose to start with, make sure to go easy at the beginning. Overdoing it can lead to counter-effects such as decrease in your sex drive, and of course lack of will to continue exercising on regular basis. It's ideal to work out for about 30 minutes at least three to four days a week.

4. Don't forget a good night's rest

Sleep is a crucial part of a good health and yet many people don't seem to get enough of it. Lack of good, restorative, sleep is a common modern-day problem and a genuine health concern. When you lack sleep, it can make you stress more easily, decrease your energy levels, make you less productive, as well as increase the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Research has also found that sleeping longer was related to better libido the next day. According to studies, spending one hour more sleeping boosts chances of having intercourse by 14 percent because good night's sleep increases sexual arousal. Just keep in mind that sleeping for eight hours one or two nights isn't enough, you have to make it a habit. Try going to bed at approximately the same time every night, and wake up at the same time as well. Limit the use of phones and computers directly before bed.

5. Feel good in your skin

If you feel bad or ugly in your skin, you'll probably have issues with your libido as well because our sex drive is strongly affected by how we feel about ourselves. Confident people tend to be more open to sexual relations and spicing up their sex life.

Underactive thyroid as well as a few other medical conditions can affect people's confidence. This isn't something that is fixable in one day, but it's possible to learn to love yourself more, it just requires patience.

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