Why sexual desire dropped for many women ?

It has been almost four years since the world went into lockdown from the Covid-19 pandemic — but don't be surprised if you haven't brought sexy back yet.

Sexual function — which includes factors like desire, arousal and pleasure — in men and women decreased significantly after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a January 2022 meta-analysis of 21 studies published in the journal BMC Public Health. And women — even more so than men — struggled when it came to desire. [2]

1. Stress kills sex
Why would Covid-19 create such an ongoing issue for sexual desire? Stress, said Dr. Justin Lehmiller, a research fellow at the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University.

"It makes sense that people experienced a lot of difficulties during this time because you had these major life disruptions that didn't necessarily go away when the world reopened," said Lehmiller, who is also host of the "Sex and Psychology Podcast."

It's difficult for people's bodies to find space for sex when under stress, Marin said. "For the vast majority of people, if you're under a lot of stress, your body shuts down any pathway to arousal and desire," she said.

On top of concerns about the state of the world and your family's health, transitioning to a Covid-19 world of no childcare, working from home and fewer social outlets meant increased stress for many people — especially women
"The pandemic brought issues of mental load and mental labor really to the forefront in a way that it never has been before," Marin said. Mental load refers to tasks that take planning, preparation and keeping track to maintain a household.


2. Spontaneous vs. responsive
That feeling at the beginning of a relationship when the desire is on fire is usually driven by hormones, age, and a low-stress environment. Many people, particularly women, tend to experience what is called responsive arousal as opposed to spontaneous arousal.
This often means that the initiative is left to the partner, but we doesn't necessarily look at this as something to fix. It can be perfectly fine in the dynamics of the couple.


3. How to get the spark back
There are many steps you can take if you want to get back in the groove.
The first one is Love.

Try turning challenges into opportunities.
When the sex drive is low , this can actually help you to reinforce your love.
Don't worry about the 'outcome' or the 'performance'. Love is not a competition where you get a trophy at the end beased on your score. This will only increase your anxiety.
Instead, you can reduce your anxiety by accepting the situation and being transparent about it rather than trying to hide it.
Love can be expressed physically, but it goes far beyond the physical level.
This is a great opportunity to fully explore it; don't reduce it to just a physical experience.
Looking for pills will only give you a false sense of confidence because love exists even without a physical contact, so you're kind of missing the point if you go that way.

4. Nutrition and lifestyle , as usual, these can support your health, so don't try to sabotage your life again and again with junk food or a lifestyle that will do more harm than good.
For example, cakes, ice-creams, food polluted with sugar or too much salt, and processed food are bad for your health. Alcohol, too much coffee, so-called energy-drinks and soft-drinks, smoke and stayng up late at night watching all types of movies.
Do you really expect to get better by filling yourself with rubbish?
Do you think the idea of 'a pill will save me' , will actually work?
If you don't take care of your health, why a doctor should? Best case they'll give you some pills, and goodbye.


5. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis involves the central nervous system and the endocrine system adjusting the balance of hormones in response to stress. Stress results in the hypothalamus stimulating the pituitary gland to release hormones that further cause the adrenal glands to release cortisol.
Cortisol prepares the body for "fight or flight." High levels of cortisol signal the hypothalamus that it no longer needs to stimulate the pituitary gland to raise levels further. Long periods of stress leading to chronically high cortisol may suppress the immune system and increase the risk for several conditions.
Fear and desires are the primary cause of anxiety, which in turn manifests as stress.
Try to identify what you fear and do something to alleviate it rather than increasing it.
You'll find that Love is the perfect antidote, self sustaining and invincible. [1]


[1] https://www.fempton.com/human-values
[2] https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/08/health/covid-19-sex-women-wellness/index.html