Stress

According to women’s health specialist Pelin Batur MD, stress can significantly impact your sex drive. Unmanaged stress can wreak havoc across the body in various physical, emotional, and mental symptoms. A great way to determine if stress is the culprit for your lack of libido is by asking yourself how vacation sex would be. If your sex life is great on vacation, then it’s probably stress and not a medical problem. Finding effective stress management is important for getting your sex life back on track.

Pain

Pain during sex can be common but isn’t normal. If you’re experiencing painful intercourse, it’s important to speak to your healthcare provider in order to determine the cause. According to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, three out of four women will experience painful penetration during some point in their lifetime. There are numerous reasons why someone can experience genital pain as the pelvis is the sexual, structural, hormonal, and emotional epicenter of our bodies. With any injury, inflammation, trauma, or tension, these conditions can impact how women experience arousal and can also contribute to painful stimuli. Here are some of the more common causes of painful intercourse: 

• Pelvic floor dysfunction: This common condition occurs when the pelvic muscles don’t relax normally. Pelvic dysfunction often causes painful sex but can usually be corrected through physical therapy and biofeedback treatment.
• Micro-tears: The lining within the inner labia and vaginal canal is a mucous membrane. This membrane prefers to be moist and is unfortunately prone to micro-tears when there’s a lack of lubrication. Too much friction and not enough moisture can cause micro-tears, leading to a sore vagina. Making sure you have a safe, chemical-free lube or intimacy spray can help prevent this concern.
• Hormone changes: Our hormones have the largest impact on our genitals. Our hormone levels change constantly throughout the month along our menstrual cycles which can impact the vagina and how we experience sex. During menopause, estrogen plummets both during and often postpartum. Estrogen is responsible for the lubrication and plumpness in our vaginal tissues. It’s very common for women undergoing menopause to experience genitourinary conditions, leading to painful intercourse. It’s vital to support these tender tissues through lubrication and vaginal moisturizer.
• Chemicals and pH disruption: The vagina has a very delicate pH that can be easily thrown off by lubes, soaps, douching, and other feminine products. Gynecologists recommend staying away from products marketed to improve vaginal pH as well as those that have fragrance. It’s important to be conscious of anything that touches the skin of your genitals– douching and many other products can disrupt your internal flora, leading to pain and discomfort.
• Scar tissue: Scar tissue caused by childbirth, surgeries, and episiotomies can also lead to painful intercourse. This type of tissue can restrict the proper blood flow that’s required for arousal, increasing pain and impacting lubrication. The lack of lubrication can further contribute to small amounts of scar tissue to form in sensitive areas.  
• Untreated infections or STIs: Untreated infections can irritate the vaginal wall and vulva lining, leading to inflammation and pain. If you suspect an infection or STI, it is crucial to seek immediate care for treatment. 
• Muscle soreness: Tenderness and mild discomfort after sex can sometimes be common as well. However, this type of pain will be considerably different than the pain experienced during and after intercourse. Problematic pain is often described as sharp, constant, and sometimes unbearable. 
• Other causes: Autoimmune, hormonal, and inflammatory biochemical factors all contribute to pain. There are numerous chronic conditions that can lead to painful sex including endometriosis, vaginismus, vulvodynia, interstitial cystitis, lichen sclerosis, and more. 

Psychological Causes

Women are at a higher risk for depression and anxiety disorders. These conditions can significantly impact your sex drive. A history of sexual trauma, relationship issues, and other contributing psychological causes can also compromise a healthy sex life. Taking advantage of mental services and therapy can help women work through these challenges. 

Low Sex Drive

Low sex drive can be caused by a wide variety of reasons ranging from diet to chronic conditions like hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD).  Pinpointing the causes of your low sex drive and treating accordingly is important. 

Traditional Pharmaceutical Option Risks for Low Libido

Flibanserin is a Viagra-like drug that’s prescribed for female sexual interest/arousal disorder (FSIAD), also known as HSDD,  in premenopausal women. Some women have also been prescribed Viagra but clinical trial results are still mixed. The side effects of Flibanserin include dizziness, insomnia, nausea, dry mouth, fatigue, low blood pressure, and fainting or loss of consciousness. This drug has boxed warnings which are the most serious warnings from the FDA. It also poses serious drug interactions with restrictions on alcohol intake as well. 

How to Use CBD for Sex

While all cannabinoid therapy varies from person to person, this is especially true when it comes to using CBD for enhancing your sexual experiences. The results and effectiveness highly vary on the person, the administration method, product cannabinoid profile, timing, and dosage. 

We recommend self-experimenting with dosage and products to find what works best for you. Topical CBD is ideal for boosting natural lubrication, alleviating pain, and relaxing tense muscles. Ingestible CBD is ideal for addressing stress, anxiety, pain, and more. Depending on your needs, you may want to utilize one or both administration methods. When it comes to understanding the effects of any new supplementation, it’s also wise to keep a journal where you track your dosage, timing, and sex. This can give you a clear set of data points for creating the proper CBD regimen for sex and allowing you to better understand how it affects you. 

Press Pause CBD for Sex

As women, we understand the complicated nuances of our body chemistry and how it impacts our search for a healthy sex life. That’s why we’ve handcrafted our high-quality CBD products just for you. We’re always happy to help you find the right products for improving your sexual experiences and addressing the underlying causes. Please contact us for more information!