Female Libido by Ray Sahelian, M.D. Are there natural female libido enhancers that really work?

How to Increase Female Libido -- Herbs are more powerful than most people imagine

In March of 1998 a new sexual revolution began in the modern Western world. It was at that time that Viagra, a pill for the treatment of male erectile dysfunction, was introduced. This, unfortunately, failed to address the other most important part of sexual relations: the female partner. It is not until recently that medical doctors have begun to recognize there are quite a number of women with low libido who have an interest in enhancing their sexuality, yet there are no good pharmaceutical options. Fortunately there are now herbal supplements for women that effectively address the neglected issue of female libido enhancement.
   Female libido is certainly a major concern for many women, particularly as they get older. There's much that can be done to enhance female libido. Later we'll discuss some of the major aspects of women's sexuality and causes of low libido in a woman. But first I want to introduce you to Passion Rx, a highly evolved product that enhances female libido often within hours. You may also consider other female libido enhancers called Muira Puama and Tongkat Ali.

Passion Rx -- Medical Doctor formulated for Female Libido Enhancement
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How quickly does Passion Rx enhance a woman's libido?
Passion Rx provides results that are sometimes seen within a few hours, but continue to improve after several days of use. Our feedback thus far indicates more than 80% satisfaction by the end of the first week, and more than 90 percent by the end of the second week.

A Unique Blend
Dr. Sahelian and his research staff have tested various doses and extracts of dozens of herbs from a number or raw material suppliers to determine the ideal dosage and combination for optimal female libido enhancement with the fewest side effects. After years of research, a unique proprietary blend with more than a dozen herbal extracts from the best raw material suppliers has been created. The exact dosages and potencies of this unique female libido blend is a close kept secret only known to the doctor and his research staff. You will only find this exact combination in Passion Rx.
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Understanding the causes of Low Female Libido and female sexual dysfunction:

Psychological or Mental -- The causes of psychological sexual dysfunction and low female libido are numerous, and it is difficult to list them all, but most often low female libido is related to anxiety, stress, depression, marital or relationship problems, time constraints, the pressures of raising children, life crisis, financial difficulties, religious repression, or some forms of mental illness.

Hormonal -- Androgens, such as testosterone, are a major component of female libido. Testosterone levels decline about 1 percent each year in men, which may contribute to lower male libido with aging. Testosterone also declines with age in women leading to a decrease in female libido. Women who have had surgical removal of the ovaries notice a drop in sexual interest. Replacement of androgens can be helpful in those with age related sexual dysfunction. Testosterone is available by prescription only. An over the counter hormones, such as DHEA, converts into testosterone and thus has a positive influence on libido. Pregnenolone is another over the counter hormone that may increase testosterone levels and thus enhance female libido. However, the risk of side effects and potential long term health consequences of testosterone must be taken into account. My preference is to avoid hormones unless absolutely necessary and instead use herbal supplements for libido enhancement. These herbal libido boosters are extremely effective.

Vascular -- Alterations in the flow of blood to and from the genital region are a minor cause of female sexual dysfunction. For instance, medical conditions such as atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), high cholesterol, hypertension, or diabetes reduce blood flow to the genital organs.  An additional factor that can impede blood flow is surgery in the pelvic or abdominal area.

Neural -- Nerve damage from disorders such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and stroke affect the brain’s ability to respond to sexual stimulation. In women, abdominal or pelvic operations can occasionally lead to nerve damage.

Chemical -- Some chemicals involved in the human sexual response include dopamine, acetylcholine, and nitric oxide. Certain medications and drugs interfere with the proper activity of the body's chemicals and hormones responsible for female libido.

Female libido and medical conditions
Certain medical conditions reduce female libido, performance, or enjoyment. These include hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, peripheral vascular disease, and neurologic disorders, and insomnia.

Drugs and female libido
Drugs that interfere with sexual function include some anti-hypertensives, SSRIs, sedatives, and beta-blockers. Alcohol's negative affect on a woman's libido increases with age. Smoking can reduce genital blood flow.

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Basic ways to enhance female libido
Physical fitness positively influences female sexual desire and performance.
Deep sleep is crucial for optimum female sexual function.
Eat more cold water fish for its content of fish oils. Use more spices such as ginger root.
Do yoga, stretching, or relaxation exercises.
Keep an open mind and try to be non-judgmental.
Consider natural herbs, many really work.

Does Viagra help with female libido?
Viagra (sildenafil), approved by the FDA in 1998, has been the most popular medicine for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Viagra works very well in dilating blood vessels in the genital region leading to an erection in men, however it does little to directly increase female libido or sexual arousal. New studies in women show Viagra not to be effective. Side effects of Viagra include headache, flushes, nasal congestion or runny nose, malaise, nausea, changes in blood pressure, irregular heart beats, visual disturbances including rare cases of blindness, and chest pain. Viagra may cause stickiness of blood platelets. Most of my women patients find natural libido boosters quite effective and preferable to pharmaceutical drugs.

Testosterone and female libido
Treatment with a patch containing the hormone testosterone can increase libido in women who experience reduced libido after surgical removal of the ovaries. Testosterone should be used at the lowest dosage that works, and only for brief periods.

Female Libido Research Update
Women with low female libido: correlation of decreased androgen levels with female sexual function index.
Int J Impotence Res. 2004 Dec 09;
The aim of the present study was to investigate a possible correlation between decreased androgen levels and female sexual function index in women with low female libido and compare these findings with normal age-matched subjects. In total, 20 premenopausal women with low libido and 20 postmenopausal women with low libido, and 20 premenopausal healthy women and 20 postmenopausal healthy women as controls were enrolled in the current study. Women with low libido had symptoms for at least 6 months and were in stable relationships. We found significant differences between the women with low female libido and the controls in total testosterone, free testosterone and DHEA-S levels for both pre- and postmenopausal women. Our data suggest that women with low female libido have lower androgen levels compared to age-matched normal control groups and their decreased androgen levels correlate positively with female sexual function index domains.

Acute dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) effects on female libido and sexual arousal in postmenopausal women.
J Womens Health Gend Based Med. 2002 Mar;11(2):155-62.
The age-related decline of DHEA has prompted research on its experimental replacement in women. Although no relationship to female libido functioning in healthy women has been shown to date, DHEA replacement has potential for affecting sexual response. To investigate DHEA effects, 16 sexually functional postmenopausal women participated in a randomized, double-blind, crossover protocol in which oral administration of DHEA (300 mg) or placebo occurred 60 minutes before the presentation of an erotic video segment. Blood DHEA sulfate (DHEAS) changes, subjective and physiological sexual responses, as well as affective responses were measured in response to videotaped neutral and erotic video segments. The concentration of DHEAS increased 2-5-fold following DHEA administration in all 16 women. Subjective ratings across DHEA and placebo conditions showed significantly greater mental and physical sexual female libido arousal to the erotic video with DHEA vs. placebo. Positive affect also increased during the erotic video across drug conditions. Vaginal pulse amplitude and vaginal blood volume demonstrated a significant increase between neutral and erotic film segments within both conditions (DHEA and placebo) but did not differentiate drug conditions. In sum, increases in mental and physical sexual female libido arousal ratings significantly increased in response to an acute dose of DHEA in postmenopausal women.

Female Libido higher during most fertile days
Biological factors appear to increase the likelihood that a woman will have a higher female libido and engage in sexual intercourse during her most fertile days rather than at other times. Therefore, women who don't want to become pregnant should be aware that a single episode of unprotected sex may be more risky than chance alone would dictate. In a variety of mammals, intercourse is coordinated with ovulation through different mechanisms, such as an increase in female libido during the fertile period.

Female Libido as part of sexuality in female cancer survivors.
Oncol Nurs Forum. 2004 May;31(3):599-609.Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Rochester, MN.
To present the state of knowledge and a suggested program of research related to female libido, one part of sexual functioning in female cancer survivors: female libido. Sexuality is a broadly defined term with many components. Female libido is a component of sexuality and is reviewed with respect to definition, physiology, and measurement. Evidence-based interventions also are discussed. Most of the evidence related to enhancing female libido involves testosterone, but this has not been tested in cancer survivors. Several clinical questions are yet to be answered regarding physiology as well as nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic interventions for enhancing female libido. Nurse researchers could add much to the evidence base on interventions for improving female libido and, subsequently, sexual health. Implementing behavioral interventions to enhance female libido would be an appropriate nursing function.

Predictors of decreased female libido during the late reproductive years.
Menopause. 2004 Mar-Apr;11(2):136-7. University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA.
To identify risk factors for decreased female libido among women in the late reproductive years. Prospective cohort. Women aged 35 to 47 years identified through random digit dialing were prospectively followed for 4 years with serial hormone assays and standardized questionnaires. Mean hormone values, hormone trends over 4 years, and fluctuation in hormone levels were compared among women with and without a decrease in libido at the last assessment period. Total testosterone, dihydroepiandrosterone sulfate, estradiol, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, body mass index, psychosocial, and socioeconomic variables were evaluated using multivariable logistic regression. Of 326 women, 87 (27%) reported a decreased female libido, whereas 239 (73%) did not. Participant-specific means for all hormone levels over the study period were similar among both groups. However, total testosterone fluctuation over the study was significantly different between groups. Women whose testosterone levels fluctuated from 3.8 to 21.5 ng/dL around a mean value of 9 ng/dL were four times more likely to report decreased female libido compared with women with little fluctuation in testosterone, Depression, vaginal dryness, and children living at home were also independently associated with decreased libido. Decreased female libido in the late reproductive years is associated with a pronounced fluctuation in total testosterone over time. Other independent risk factors for decreased female libido include vaginal dryness, depression, and living with children.

Female libido emails
Q. Is arginine a female libido booster?
   A. In my experience, I have not found arginine to be an effective male or female libido booster.

Q. Does exercise improve libido?
   A. Perhaps not directly, but indirectly exercise can help you sleep deeper which does wonders for female libido. Exercise also makes you feel better about your body, and this could also have an influence on your libido.

Q. My doctor told me that I need testosterone to boost my libido ever since I've had my ovaries removed. Do you think herbs can restore libido without resorting to hormones? I really don't want to take testosterone.
   A. Most doctors don't realize that there certain natural herbs boost female libido as much as the hormones.

Q. I bought a female libido sexual product called Erostat and did not notice much of an effect. Does Erostat work? The website that promotes Erostat says it is the number two pick. What are the ingredients of Erostat anyway?
   A. There are several so called sexual product review sites on the internet that make it appear that they are independent but are actually a front for the company that sells the top listed products. In the case of Erostat, we have not tested this product ourselves.

Q. Can LJ100 improve low libido in a woman? What else could help?
   A. First, deep sleep and low stress do wonders to improve low libido in a woman. LJ100 could certainly help.

Q. Q. What do you recommend to increase female libido that would be safe to take with no side effects?
   A. Just about every herb used to enhance female libido has some side effects. However, the side effects are dosage related and different women have side effects from female libido enhancing herbs at different dosages. One option is to take a low amount of an herb, even if it is a third or half a capsule, and be patient for a week. If no results then the dosage can be increased.

This female libido page was last updated February 2008.