As Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching, there is more and more talk about sex, love and your hormones. What many don’t know is that they go hand-in-hand. At The Riegel Center our clients frequently ask why their love life isn’t what it used to be; whether it’s not feeling as in love or a lack of sexual desire. A large part of this comes with age and a decline in hormones that play a large role in your overall feelings.
Contrary to what some might say, sex and love are two completely different things, especially when it comes to your hormones. When a woman is feeling sexual desires this is due to her estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, also known as sex hormones. Sex hormones, for men and women, not only help with sexual desire, but they also play an essential role in sexual reproduction and development. These sex hormones fluctuate throughout our lives and can be affected by many factors such as:
Your body produces “happy hormones” when you are happy. These hormones are oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin. When you’re in love, or attracted to someone, your brain will release the happy hormone dopamine which then increases your serotonin levels and then oxytocin is produced. The combination of these three working in action will create a positive emotion throughout your body. Many people refer to oxytocin as the “love hormone”.
The body experiences thousands of emotions a day and each one comes from your hormones. If one of your hormones isn’t functioning correctly you will definitely notice it based on your feelings and reactions (or overreactions!) to things. Your sex hormones play a large role in your desire to have sex. The more estrogen in your body the higher your sexual desire will be. A woman’s body will also have more vaginal lubrication when it has higher estrogen levels. If your body has too much progesterone, then you might be experiencing a lower sexual desire. Testosterone is another sex hormone. In women testosterone does not have as much of an impact. But for males, testosterone plays a huge role in their sexual desires. When a male is experiencing low levels of testosterone, he will notice a lack of sexual desire as well as low sperm counts.
A lack of sexual desire is not the only sign of a hormonal imbalance. Other signs include irregular periods, hot flashes, breast tenderness, acne, weight gain, fatigue, and anxiety. Your hormones affect many areas of your body which is why it’s so important to make sure they are balanced and working effectively with the rest of your body.
Your “happy hormones” are affected in slightly different ways. Dopamine, for example, is driven by positive things in your day-to-day life. When things go well at work and you’re praised, or you achieve small goals dopamine is released because you feel good and positive about yourself. Serotonin is released when your body is active and energized. This is why so many people say that exercising can make you happy; it actually does release serotonin into your body which boosts your mood. As previously mentioned, oxytocin is released when you are in love. This means that when you are around someone you are attracted to or that you love, all of these hormones work together and release oxytocin. If you’re constantly feeling unhappy, even when things should be making you happy, you should reach out to your doctor about a hormonal imbalance.
As you can see, your hormones play an extremely large role in your love life and relationships. At The Riegel Center, we understand the importance your sexual desires play in your life. With the use of hormone replacement therapy, The Riegel Center can help you to get back to feeling like you again. Reach out to The Riegel Center to find out more about your hormone levels. After a virtual consultation, Dr. Riegel will have you proceed with bloodwork. This bloodwork will let us know exactly which hormones are not balanced and from there we can start with bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. Every few months, we will repeat bloodwork and make sure you are where you should be. With hormone therapy, you can get your sexual desires back and start living the life you used to in your 20’s. We offer virtual hormone consultations so there’s no reason to wait to get started with your treatment. Visit our website today to take our hormone quiz and find out if hormone replacement therapy is the next step for you.
