Hey Guys, my name is Dr Sam and in this video I wanted to talk about the top 6 causes of
low libido in men and explain the simple next steps I use to help my patients.
Recently, I made a video on low libido in women. If you want to check that out, I’ll
link it up here. But because of that video, a few of you have asked me to talk about low
libido in men, or a man’s low sex drive/sexual interest. In fact, many guys understand that
libido drops over their lifetime, but don’t know what a normal libido should feel like
at their age. As a doctor, I see more and more patients complaining of low sex drive
and I wanted to share with you what I recommend to my patients first line, so hopefully it
might help you as well.
Quickly, what is a normal libido for a man? Ok, if ever there was a really hard question
for me to answer - this is it. There is no normal libido for a man, as there is no specific
way to measure it - it’s completely up to the individual. For example, I’ve seen patients
who describe themselves as having low libido when they only want sex 3 times a week instead
of 5 times a week. Other men do not have sex for 8 months, but are happy with their libido.
So firstly, just know “low libido” is extremely subjective. However, there are some
very common causes of low libido in men.
#1 LOW TESTOSTERONE Ok, so extremely predictable but testosterone
is a crucial hormone involved in sex drive. Adult men are considered to have low testosterone,
or low T, when their levels fall below 300 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dL). I’ll talk
about this more in a minute in regards to testing if you don’t know what your levels
are. Also, certain medical conditions like sleep apnoea (which is when your breathing
repeatedly stops and starts during sleep) is associated with low testosterone.
#2 MEDICATIONS There are a whole heap of medications that
can meddle with your libido. This is usually due to the fact that they lower your testosterone.
Examples of problem pills are: Antidepressants, blood pressure pills and
pain relievers. I’ll list the rest in the description below. If you are taking a suspect
medication, I’d talk to your doctor first before stopping it. As there will be alternatives
to your current medication, that you can try instead.
#3 DEPRESSION & STRESS People who have depression experience a reduced
or complete lack of interest in things they once found pleasurable, including sex. If
you are worried about taking an antidepressant medication, that may worsen libido, another
medicine called Bupropion maybe a good choice - but talk with your doctor first. Or you
may want to consider psychotherapy counselling instead of a medication.
#4 CHRONIC ILLNESS Chronic health conditions like Diabetes, heart
disease and obesity contribute to sex being more difficult - due to other factors like
physical pain or even erectile dysfunction. I try to advise my patients to think about
what those factors are that are causing the restriction, and then treating those symptoms.
#5 EXERCISE This is surprising, even to me as a doctor,
but extreme endurance training can decrease libido in men. However, on the flip side,
moderate exercise is known to lower cortisol levels at night and reduce stress, which can
help increase sex drive. SO just try to keep the balance right!
#6 STRESS & ANXIETY I know I will be stating the obvious, but
when you are under high stress or pressure your sexual desire will decrease. This is
because stress disrupts hormones in the body. Of course, stress can be very hard to avoid,
but it’s important to be honest with yourself and your partner about what you are experiencing,
so that you can plan together how to improve your libido.
So what can you do next for low libido? My personal recommendation to figure out what
is going on is to get your hormone levels checked. Now, in today’s world, it is especially
difficult to see a doctor to get a blood test, or even if you have enough time to make an
appointment, there is the risk that the doctor will decline your request for whatever reason!
I would have a lot of sympathy for guys coming in wanting a blood test for low libido, because
I would want to help find the cause, but not every doctor is like this.
Well, luckily - I have the perfect solution for you, which brings me to talk about today’s
sponsor for this video. I’ve partnered with the guys over at let’s get checked which
do at home lab testing. This is so brilliant! Basically, you go online - order the tests
you want, they deliver the kit directly to your door usually overnight, and after you
post it back, you can see your results online in about 2 to 5 days.
What’s really awesome is that it’s so convenient and confidential. They deliver
it discreetly, you get a prepaid shipping label inside. It’s super simple to collect
the blood sample, you just do a small fingerprick on the side of your finger with a lancet first
thing in the morning. Once you send it off, the tests are analysed at the same labs that
your family doctor orders labs from, and there’s a dedicated team of doctors and nurses that
will help explain the results and provide treatments to you if needed.
I’m just so disappointed this isn’t in New Zealand yet!! We really need it here!
So which test should you go for? They have quite a comprehensive panel of tests
that you can order, which is excellent. If you just want to know your testosterone level,
order the basic test. But, I tend to recommend the male hormone advanced panel because it
tests for prolactin. The reason for this is because you want to rule out a prolactinoma,
which is a common type of pituitary tumour, that can cause a low testosterone level.
If you want to support my channel, please go to https://trylgc.com/bailey
And if you check out with coupon code BAILEY20, you’ll get 20% off, which is quite a nice
wee bonus. I’ll put the URL in the description and i’ll pin it in the top comment.
If you enjoyed these tips, give this video a like. Make sure you hit subscribe and hit
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what you’d like me to make a video on and check out my other videos on men’s health.
Thanks so much for watching and I’ll see you in the next video.