Haven't been in the mood lately? Your contraceptive could be to blame

News24

29-05-2025

Contraceptives like the pill and injectables can cause a myriad of side effects, including low sex drive.
These birth control methods produce oestrogen and progesterone, causing hormonal fluctuations.
Experts suggest switching to an IUD, trying new ways of foreplay and more.
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We all know how risky the pull-out method and hoping for the best is.
For many women who aren't looking to get pregnant anytime soon, outside of condoms, hormonal birth control methods have been a go-to for years - just don't forget that regular STD checkup!
Plus, many women find contraceptives particularly useful for controlling bad acne, treating PCOS and lowering the risk of certain cancers and abnormal growths.
But, we don't have to tell you how the ups and downs that come with birth control methods like the pill and injections can make everyday living that much harder. From weight fluctuations to mood swings and irregular menstrual cycles, it's almost like women can't catch a break.
Not to mention the crashing libido and low sex drive.
Every women deserves a fulfilling sex life while looking out for their health. We got the experts to break down why hormonal birth controls affects libido and how you can get your groove back.
How exactly do hormonal contraceptives work?
Most hormonal birth control methods contain hormones oestrogen and progesterone, dedicated to changing the way your natural hormones are released to prevent ovulation.
Dr Bradley Wagemaker, a medical doctor and director at Lamelle Pharmaceuticals, explains to TRUELOVE just how these added hormones affect your body.
'When you are taking oestrogen and progesterone, your ovaries go, 'Oh, you have, so I don't need to make', so they shut down. Now your brain goes, 'Hey, but you're not making stuff, why aren't you making stuff?' And then it sends a louder message,' Dr Bradley explains.
'That message can also affect mood. It can also affect how you feel. So, you have hormones doing what, in normal ovulating circumstances, wouldn't be doing and hormones can impact every neurotransmitter in the body, which is why people have regret.'
Tips to get your sex drive back while on birth control
Here are some ways to get back into the mood and have a healthy, fulfilling sex life while on hormonal birth control:
Make lifestyle changes: Get active, cut back on the drinking and smoking (or put them down altogether) and get a regular good night's rest. 'Those are also very important benefits,' Dr Bradley says.
Switch to non-hormonal contraceptives: Implanting an IUD device in the uterus is a good option to avoid the influx of hormones while ensuring lengthy prevention against pregnancy. If you're in a long-term relationship or marriage and are done having children or not looking to have any, your man can consider the simple and minimally invasive procedure of a vasectomy.
Try different foreplay techniques: Foreplay involves more than just intimate pleasuring. 'Be intimate with your partner more often, for example, by kissing, holding hands and cuddling,' says licensed sexologist and couples therapist Sofie Roos.
Try taking supplements: Sometimes your body just needs a little extra help. Take plant-based supplements that have ingredients like pine bark extract, rosehip extract, maca root or ginseng.
But sometimes hormonal birth control methods like the pill and the injections are the best options for those who need to regulate other issues in their body outside of just preventing pregnancy.
Here's why you haven't been up for some lovemaking
For those using injectables like the two-month Nur-Isterate and the three-month Depo-Provera, Dr Bradley admittedly describes them as 'hardcore', sharing how his experience working in the gynae clinics show that these injections have a typically worse side effect profile than the daily ingestible tablet contraception.
Dr Bradley explains, 'If you take injectable Nur-Isterate, which is just injectable progesterone, the effect on libido, for example, is profound. It's huge because what it's doing is it's impacting neurotransmitters that release in the brain that drive desire, that give emotional connectedness. Those different parts of the brain, those neurotransmitters are almost being overrun by the intensity of the signal from the progesterone. And so, their libido drops through the floor in many instances.'