To be diagnosed with the disorder, a person must have no other issues that might cause a change in libido, such as erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation.

“So it’s difficult for men to say, ‘Hey, I’ve got a problem with my sex drive.’ That’s why the majority of male patients I see with HSDD are sent in by their partners.” “Men are embarrassed to go to the doctor to begin with, and you’re supposed to be a macho guy,” said Althof, who was not involved in the kisspeptin study. “I did initiate sex more and it improved things with my partner incredibly.”Įxperts believe HSDD affects at least 10% of women and up to 8% of men, although those numbers may be low, said Stanley Althof, a professor emeritus of psychology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio and executive director of the Center for Marital and Sexual Health of South Florida. I can only presume it was driven not by my mind remembering something, but my body wanting something,” he said. “All of a sudden, I wanted to initiate intimacy. In the week after the final session, Peter said, something amazing occurred. In a long-term, committed relationship with a woman he says has a higher sexual appetite, Peter signed up, intrigued by the thought that a biological imbalance might help explain his behavior. Kisspeptin plays a key role in reproduction without adequate levels of the hormone children do not go through puberty, for example. Researchers planned to inject the study’s participants with kisspeptin -a naturally occurring sexual hormone - to see if it increased their sex drive.

In 2021, Peter saw an ad recruiting male volunteers for a new study on hypoactive sexual desire disorder, or HSDD. It just didn’t enter my mind to initiate sex.” “It wasn’t an issue with attraction to my partner. “I would make excuses around getting tired or feeling stressed, that kind of thing,” he said. “Of course I never mentioned that … as a man, you’d be kicked out of the herd.”Īs he developed “proper, serious relationships” with women, Peter discovered he didn’t have the sexual drive many of his partners did. “I’ve never been somebody who was interested in pornography, but I’d laugh along with their jokes,” said Peter, now 44, who is British. Lack of sleep may be ruining your sex life Increasing stressors like juggling work and family and the economic slump are taking a toll on our sleep, experts say.

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