Why Hormone-Based Contraception Sometimes Kills a Woman's Interest in Sex

The Pill has the advantage of being reversible. When women stop taking it, they tend to get pregnant. Women can choose to become mothers when they are ready. About half of women get pregnant within three months of stopping the Pill. Most women get pregnant within one year of stopping oral contraceptives. 

However, the Pill has one other effect that isn't as often mentioned. It sometimes kills a woman's interest in sex.

Some Women Report a Higher Sex Drive on the Pill, Some Lower, and Some the Same

Using the Pill doesn't always interfere with a woman's love life. Some women report an actually stronger libido when they are on the Pill. Others report no change in their interest in sex. An review of 36 clinical studies of this question reported in 2013 in the European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care found that only about 15 percent of women lose their sex drive when they are on the Pill. However, losing interest in sex cancels out the main benefit of taking the Pill, having more sex with fewer consequences.

Testosterone Explains Why Some Women Lose Interest in Sex When They Are on the Pill

The reason some women lose interest in sex when they are on the Pill has to do with their testosterone levels. Women's bodies make small amounts of testosterone that power their interest in sex. This testosterone is made in the ovaries. The ring, the patch, the shot, or the implant for contraception shut down ovulation from the ovaries, but they also slow down the production of testosterone in the ovaries.

Additionally, the estrogen in birth control increases the production of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG). This protein binds to testosterone so that it is not as readily available to fuel the sex drive. A study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine in 2006 found that women who are on the Pill produce four times as much SHBG as women who are not.

READ Over-The-Counter Contraceptive Pills Do Not Work

Women who get "horny" about the time they ovulate experience increased sex drive because the ovaries release testosterone about the same time they release an egg to be fertilized. When the ovaries don't release an egg, due to the contraceptive, they don't release testosterone, either. They also don't get as "wet." They don't produce as much natural lubrication.Women who are used to becoming highly sexual about the midpoint of their menstrual cycles may miss this monthly peak of sexual interest when they go on the Pill.

Certain Kinds of Contraceptive Pill Have More of an Effect on Sex Drive Than Others

High-estrogen versions of the Pill have fallen out of favor, but it's high-progesterone versions of the Pill that have the greatest effect on sex drive. Different versions of synthetic progrestin have different effects on a woman's interest in sex. Yaz and Yasmin contain a form of progestin called drospirenone. It is very anti-testosterone. It will clear up acne but wipe out sex drive. Lutera and Lybrel contain another form of progestin called levonorgestrel. It behaves similarly to testosterone and may actually increase sex drive.

A truly effective contraceptive sponge, however, will help women avoid all the side effects associated with the Pill, as well as give them the ability to try to get pregnant any time they like. In the meantime, the hormone-free copper IUD may be the next best thing.