Low libido is desire persistently below your own baseline - and it becomes a medical issue when it distresses you or strains the relationship, not when it fails to match a partner or an average.
The fixable drivers: poor sleep, stress, depression, SSRIs and other medications, hormonal shifts (the Office on Women's Health notes menopause commonly dampens desire), alcohol, and relationship friction. When it persists: a doctor can check thyroid, testosterone, and the medication list. When it arrives suddenly, with other symptoms, or after a medication change - that is a real appointment.
What to do
Common questions
What is a low libido and when is it a problem?
Low libido is desire sitting persistently below your own normal - and the line that makes it a medical issue is distress: it is a problem when it bothers you or strains your relationship, not when it fails to match a partner or a population average. Desire naturally fluctuates with stress, sleep, life stage, and relationship texture. The fixable drivers are worth sweeping first: poor sleep and exhaustion; stress, anxiety, and depression (and - frustratingly - some of the antidepressants that treat them, especially SSRIs); hormonal shifts, including perimenopause and menopause, where the Office on Women's Health notes declining hormones commonly dampen desire and comfort; medications beyond antidepressants - some blood pressure drugs and hormonal contraceptives; alcohol; and relationship friction, which suppresses desire as reliably as any molecule. The medical sweep when it persists: a doctor can check thyroid, testosterone, and medication lists. When to act: when it distresses you, arrives suddenly with other symptoms, or follows a medication change - those are real appointments, not things to endure. In crisis: 988 in the US, or your local crisis line. Pymander, a free AI doctor available 24/7 by text, can help you sort the drivers privately.