'I used to be constantly horny - my partner was heartbroken after sudden change'
When it came to intimacy in the bedroom, Leanne Jones and her partner Adam never encountered any issues. In fact, the 42-year-old described herself as being "very highly sex driven", but then something switched.
"I went from being very highly sex driven to feeling like Grandpa Joe from Willy Wonka," Leanne told The Sun. Unaware of what had suddenly changed, the mum-of-two from South Wales said that at first her partner, Adam, "took it personally" and thought she didn't love him anymore.
It became a confusing time for Leanne as she struggled to get aroused, and when they had sex, she was unable to climax as usual. It comes after the NHS warns mouth symptom could be life-shortening disease.
"I was left heartbroken. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get back my once horny self", the former legal secretary shared.
Just a few years prior, in March 2020, Leanne was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, also known as MS, which is a lifelong condition that affects the brain and nerves. But she never thought this would start to impact her sex life.
"When it impacts your enjoyment in the bedroom and intimacy with your partner, it is very difficult," she revealed. Her relationship with Adam began in 2023, and they had enjoyed an intimate relationship before her GP confirmed that her MS was likely the cause of the lack of sex drive.
Leanne explained that because of the nerve damage to the brain and spine, "the signals needed for arousal, sensation, and orgasm are no longer there", which "creates a disconnect". Taking to TikTok for support, she found that she wasn't the only one with MS to experience a drop in her sex life, and said some saw their partner leave them due to not knowing MS could impact intimacy in the bedroom.
Knowing her MS had caused the drop in sex drive, Leanne was able to talk to her partner about it, who understands the problem is not him, but her brain. They've since been able to work together to know when the best time to be intimate together is and have sex "a few times a week".
In addition to her sex life, MS impacts Leanne every day as she experiences issues with speech, vision, and mobility, along with extreme fatigue, restless legs, and absence seizures. These can worryingly cause her to "blank out" or stare into space.
Due to her MS, where her symptoms come and go, Leanne was forced to take early retirement and said it impacts her mental, emotional, and physical health. She labelled MS as a "debilitating and lonely life" but said she doesn't want people to feel like it's a "prison sentence".
Prior to her diagnosis, she had experienced numbness in her right knee, which at times would completely give way. Leanne, who led an active lifestyle, also faced "crippling" fatigue, which left her unable to move from the sofa some days, and she experienced partial hearing loss.
She went to her GP and was referred for an MRI scan, which revealed her MS condition. When it came to the results, she was unable to speak to her doctor in person, as it was the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, so she was given life-changing news in a phone call.
In 2024, the mum was also diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), a condition that impacts how the brain receives and sends information to the rest of the body. This can cause leg and arm weakness and seizures.
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