Is Your Thyroid Messing With Your Libido?

Let’s talk about sex, baby. Let’s talk about T and 3. 

Written in partnership with Paloma Health

Your sex drive says a lot about your overall health, and a libido in crisis could be cause for concern. Sex is designed to be a pleasurable part of life, and a loss of sexual desire can be discouraging to partners in a relationship. Understanding the problem and finding a solution may help bring some oomph back into the bedroom (or wherever you get your kicks).

While it may feel weird to bring it up with your doctor, a waning libido can indicate some serious health problems. These issues might include diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, or a thyroid condition. Ahead, we look specifically at hypothyroidism as a root cause of low sex drive. 

Hypothyroidism is when your thyroid hormone production drops. The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland at the base of your neck. As part of the endocrine system, the thyroid gland makes and stores hormones that help regulate the body’s energy use, along with many other essential functions. 

When your thyroid hormone production drops, your body processes slow down and change. Hypothyroidism affects virtually every system in your body, causing a whole host of symptoms that affect the way we work, play, and love. 

How thyroid hormones affect sex hormones

Thyroid hormones can directly affect the ovaries and testicles, which produce our primary sex hormones – estrogen in the ovaries, and testosterone in the testes. Biologically, these sex hormones regulate our libidos.

Many of our hormones are part of a regulatory feedback loop that gets disrupted when thyroid hormone production drops. Thyroid hormone triiodothyronine (T3) increases the sensitivity of the luteinizing hormone (LH), which controls the production of sex hormones by the ovaries. So, when thyroid hormone production drops, LH may also remain low, resulting in lower desire.

Thyroid symptoms can be a mood killer

Thyroid hormones may also indirectly impact your libido. Hypothyroidism can cause sexually disruptive symptoms like vaginal dryness, depression, erectile dysfunction, fatigue, or weight gain. These symptoms may lead to low desire, difficulty with arousal or orgasm, pain before, during, or after sex, or simply just not feeling in the mood. 

Other common symptoms of hypothyroidism include:

• Dry, flaky, or scaly skin

• Hair loss or thinning

• Increased sensitivity to cold

• Constipation

• Muscle aches, tenderness, or stiffness

• Irregular menstrual periods

• Slow heart rate

• High blood pressure

• Enlarged thyroid gland (goiter)

Stress can wreak havoc on your sex life, too. Research suggests that elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), which is present in hypothyroidism, is associated with high cortisol. Produced in the adrenal glands, cortisol regulates the body’s stress response. High levels of cortisol can decrease your desire for sex.

Treat hypothyroidism to increase your libido

If you’re worried about your low libido, talk with your doctor about taking a blood test to understand how your thyroid is functioning. Many labs only look at thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). Still, it’s critical to also measure free triiodothyronine (fT3), free thyroxine (fT4), and TPO antibodies. These four markers help you understand the big picture of what’s happening with your thyroid function, and where specifically to make improvements. 

Guess what, friends? You can take 30% off your first purchase of an at-home thyroid test kit with coupon code TALKTABU (case sensitive) on Paloma Health’s website.

Should your results show that your thyroid is underactive, it is easily treatable in almost everyone. Optimizing your thyroid levels with thyroid hormone replacement medication is usually the first step in minimizing symptoms like menstrual changes. When choosing thyroid medication with your doctor, remember that there is no one-size-fits-all treatment. 

Beyond taking thyroid hormones, you can support your thyroid with nutrition and self-care — no need to overcomplicate things here. Ask yourself, Am I eating well? Getting enough sleep? Doing something to relieve stress? Connecting with my partner(s) in a meaningful way?

Like Stella, you too can get your groove back. Work with a trustworthy doctor who can assess your symptoms, history, and lab results to determine the best treatment plan for you.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

Must be looooooove on the braaaaain 🧠. Or was that s£x? 👀🤭 Our brains are our largest s£x organs and sometimes they get a little sad, hyperactive, anxious, or overwhelmed. You won’t always be in the mood for s£x and that’s okay! Keep communication with your partner open and ongoing, check in with yourself and your mental health, and lean on the support of a trusted therapist or doctor if you need some extra guidance. 🫶🏽 Anything you would add?

I mean 😏

It is not wrong nor should it feel shameful to ✨seek pleasure.✨ I think those of us who grew up more religious were taught that you should always be in service of others and giving of yourself rather than concerned with our own needs or passions. While it is wonderful to be generous with giving (and can in fact be a source of pleasure), it should be equally encouraged to pursue your own pleasure — it whatever form it may take! It may feel self-indulgent, but why is that a bad thing? Pleasure boosts our mental health. It helps us cope with a difficult world, with anxiety, depression, and stress. It makes us feel good! It gives us something to look forward to. Pleasure helps us connect with others and with ourselves. Pleasure (as long as it is not at the expense of someone else’s safety or well-being) should be a priority, for our joy and for our health. It really is so important! Where do you find pleasure? I personally love a good massage… 💆🏽‍♀️

It’s time for a talk, friend. Let’s be clear, you nor your partner ever has to do *anything* you’re not comfortable with. That said, if it’s something you enjoy and that’s pleasurable to you, it’s okay to ask your partner for it! They can say no, but if they invalidate your pleasure, much less expect you to do something they won’t do?? The ball is then in your court to decide if this is the partner for you. You deserve someone who cares about and prioritizes your pleasure. Who is thrilled to be acquainted with your body, all of it! S-x can be vulnerable to talk about, but when you do…it’s so much better. 👅 included. Ask your partner what their hesitations are and have a *conversation.* Maybe they’re nervous, intimidated, or struggling with shame. Maybe they’re down to try other things you would enjoy and build up to it. The point is, it shouldn’t just be automatically dismissed. You can decide what’s right for you and what makes you feel aroused, validated, and appreciated. Whatever you do, don’t internalize their rejection. Your body is beautiful, desirable, and definitely worthy of pleasure. 😋🥰

A UK study published in the International Urogynecology Journal found that only 46% of participants correctly identified that a female has 3 holes in the external genitalia. 😬 Not great. We’re taught so desperately little about our bodies and so discouraged from exploring them that we don’t even know what we’ve got going on down there! Understanding your own anatomy (and getting educated on your partner’s anatomy) can boost pleasure 1000x!! So take a mirror, use your hands, and get comfy exploring! 🪞🕵🏽‍♀️ And if you really want to get informed (and inspired 😉), head to our website for our basics on pleasure and anatomy. What do you think? Could YOU correctly label a diagram of what lies beneath?

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