Hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) is a sexual dysfunction in which a person experiences lack of any kind of sexual desires or fantasies. In this disorder, a person may have either very little or no desire for any kind of sexual activity.  This issue is not considered a disorder unless a doctor or an expert doesn’t declare it to be so.  It is a condition which may affect both males and females.

Hypoactive sexual desire disorder symptoms

There are many ways to identify HSDD and the following are some of the hypoactive sexual desire disorder symptoms:

Symptoms of Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder

  • Disinterest in sex- the first and the most common symptom or sign of HSDD is disinterest in sex or any other sexual activity. Disinterest in sex is not a problem in itself but if it happens under those conditions under which people are normally aroused, then it may direct to a disorder. People with HSDD normally have no reactions to physical intimacy. This symptom can be dealt with or treated through sex therapy.
  • Disgust towards sex-hypoactive sexual desire disorder normally starts with disgust towards sex.  If a person is experiencing extreme dislike towards sex or even towards the thought of a sexual activity, then he/she may be suffering from hypoactive sexual desire disorder. These are withdrawal signs which may be either physiological or psychological.
  • Sexual dissatisfaction-another common sign of HSDD is being dissatisfied with sex and finding it boring. If a person becomes sex aversive and considers it either disinteresting, painful and traumatic, then he/she may be suffering from HSDD.

Causes of Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder

It is difficult to describe what exactly causes hypoactive sexual desire disorder but one can describe the reasons for low sexual desire through the following:

  • Generalized/lifelong- if a person has little or no desire for any kind of sexual stimulation or has never had any, then this can be a reason.
  • Situational/acquired- in some cases, certain situations might lead a person to experience lesser or no interest in sex or sexual activity.   Thus this reason is termed as either acquired or situational.
  • Generalized/acquired- in this case, a person used to have interest in sexual activities previously but lacks interest in it now.
  • Other causes-apart from these three main generalizations, low sexual interest may be a result of medical/health problems, low levels of testosterone, psychiatric problems or high levels of prolactin.  Infact, low desire for sex can be due to the intake of certain medications as well.