Sex drive, also known as libido, is different for every woman. Some may have a naturally high sex drive, while for others, it's 'normal', or low. Libido is also known to rise and fall throughout life and is often impacted by hormone changes, underlying medical conditions, lifestyle choices, stress, anxiety, poor diet, and relationship issues.
While a low sex drive may be linked to an underlying condition, it is typically not a medical issue that necessitates treatment. However, it can affect women's self-esteem, otherwise happy relationships, and quality of life.
The good news is libido can be improved. If you're looking to boost low sex drive, read on to learn the best foods and supplements to include in your daily routine, as well as some easy lifestyle changes that can help.
What Is Libido?
Libido, sexual desire, or sex drive is thinking about or having an interest in sexual activity, similar to thinking about your favourite food. The libido is not fixed, or always there, but tends to rise and fall depending on a person's sexual comfort, relationship status, overall health, lifestyle, age, and hormones.
Sex drive is not the same as sexual arousal, which typically involves feelings of excitement, an increased heart rate, more blood flow to the genitals, and an increase in vaginal lubrication.
What Lowers Libido in Women?
Several factors can impact the female libido, including stress, anxiety, depression, poor diet, lack of intimacy with a partner, and fatigue. Underlying medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, or conditions affecting the reproductive system can affect libido too, and the medication taken for these conditions can also lower it.
Hormone fluctuations during pregnancy, after childbirth, while breastfeeding, and throughout the menopause transition can also wreak havoc on women's sexual desire. This is because testosterone supports libido in both women and men, and estrogen manages vaginal health and lubrication.
If the production of testosterone decreases, libido typically lowers. When estrogen is low, the vaginal tissues become thinner and less elastic and natural lubrication is reduced. A combination of both can result in vaginal dryness causing discomfort or pain during sex.
When experienced, the fiction from vaginal dryness during sex can result in pain during intercourse (dyspareunia). The psychological response is often a lowered libido to avoid further pain. We'll delve more into treating vaginal dryness to improve libido below.
Foods to Avoid for Healthy Libido
Before we discuss the best foods to boost the female libido, it's helpful to understand which foods are known to decrease it. These include foods that negatively affect energy levels, moods, or hormone balance, such as processed meats, refined carbohydrates, those with high sugar content, excessive alcohol or caffeine, too many soy products, and greasy or fried food.
What Nutrients Have Been Proven to Boost Libido?
Studies show that particular nutrients found in certain foods can influence the hormones and minerals that drive the female libido and sexual arousal.
For example, healthy zinc levels are important for regulating hormones. Sufficient iron and vitamin D are vital for boosting energy and mental health and fighting fatigue. Ingesting antioxidants through food can boost moods. And adequate testosterone production, which enhances both the female and male libido, can also be influenced with certain foods.
Additionally, studies have linked low levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine to low libido. Sufficient nitric oxide (NO), a gas naturally produced to help relax blood vessels (vasodilation) and improve blood flow, is also considered vital for female libido and arousal.
Best Foods to Improve Women's Sex Drive
In essence, we all understand that a well-balanced diet, rich in vegetables & lean protein, while low in sugar, has been proven to enhance overall health, cardiovascular wellness, and blood circulation. (Each of which is important for sexual health.) Research also shows that eating healthy, nutritious food, similar to the Mediterranean diet, can boost women's sex life and reproductive health.
If libido is low, medical researchers suggest the following foods can help improve it due to containing sufficient antioxidants, dopamine, iron, nitric oxide, testosterone, vitamin D, and zinc.
Apples
Apples contain a flavonoid called quercetin, an important compound for optimizing blood flow. This easily found fruit also provides naturally occurring sugars that enhance energy levels and stamina. Apples are also high in dietary fiber to improve digestive health and reduce uncomfortable bloating that often lowers libido in women.
Studies into female sexual health also reveal that eating apples improves nutrient absorption and found that women who ate a daily apple experienced more vaginal lubrication than those who didn't.
Iron-Rich Foods
Iron deficiency or iron deficiency anemia (IDA) due to poor diet or abnormal uterine bleeding, is a common cause of low libido in women. The good news is that eating iron-rich foods can eliminate iron deficiency and improve sex drive. Spinach, oysters, eggs, red meat, chicken, lentils, chickpeas, and pumpkin seeds are iron-rich foods.
Cacao
Despite the media coverage, no research exists to show that chocolate is an aphrodisiac. However, pure dark chocolate produced from the cacao bean is rich in flavonoids that increase nitric oxide production for effective blood circulation. In addition to improving cardiovascular health and stamina, optimal vasodilation enhances blood flow to the genitals.
Watermelon
Studies into sexual health have shown that eating watermelon increases testosterone levels, which is known to boost libido in women and men. Watermelon also contains citrulline, an amino acid that the body converts to L-Arginine, a precursor to nitric oxide. This ensures the blood vessels are adequately dilated to improve blood flow to the female genitals for sexual arousal.
(The watermelon rind provides more citrulline and it's perfectly safe to eat or use in smoothies.)
Zinc
A daily intake of zinc-rich foods has various benefits for the body and helps re-balance hormones during fluctuations. Adequate zinc also improves testosterone production and increases dopamine, the neurotransmitter that plays a role in sexual activity.
Considering that 3 ounces of oysters contain the same amount of zinc as a 25mg zinc supplement, it's no coincidence that oysters have become known as an aphrodisiac. Other zinc-rich foods that help to boost libido include red meat, dark poultry meat, almonds, cashew nuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, peanuts, peas, and lentils.
Vitamin D-Rich Foods
The human body naturally produces vitamin D when exposed to sunshine, and it's also ingested through food. When sunshine is minimal during the winter months and foods rich in vitamin D are not included in the daily diet, vitamin D deficiency can occur. In addition to lowered libido, vitamin D-deficiency can result in muscle and joint pain, low moods, increased irritability, and fatigue.
Food rich in vitamin D includes fatty fish like salmon, halibut, and mackerel. Sardines, canned tuna, and cod liver oil are also abundant in vitamin D. Because it can be difficult to consume sufficient vitamin D for those who don't eat fatty fish, vitamin D supplements are often recommended.
Best Supplements for Low Libido in Women
Ashwagandha
Used to help reduce stress & anxiety, and balance hormones, ashwagandha supplements are often recommended to improve low libido when mental anguish is thought to be an inhibitor.
L-Arginine
This amino acid helps increase nitric oxide levels in the body to improve vasodilation and blood flow to the genital tissues for better libido and sexual arousal.
Fenugreek
Studies have shown that the herb fenugreek can improve libido by positively impacting testosterone levels.
Maca Root
Maca root supplements can help balance the hormones and improve libido in both men and women. It's also popular for boosting energy levels and alleviating fatigue.
Vitamin D
Because it's challenging to consume sufficient vitamin D through food, a daily supplement offers more consistency for mood support, stronger muscles & bones, and a boost in libido.
Zinc
Essential for hormone balance, adequate zinc levels are vital for a healthy libido and a daily supplement is widely recommended for women transitioning through menopause or experiencing hormone fluctuations at any other time during life.
B Vitamins
The B vitamins, B6 and B12 in particular, help support moods, adrenal function, energy production, and hormone balance. Each of which individually and collectively contribute to the sex drive.
Other Tips to Improve Female Libido
Communicating openly with partners is often one of the most helpful things to do when libido is low. Hormone fluctuations are very real and produce uncomfortable symptoms for many women. On top of that, life's challenges can regularly reduce energy levels or heighten irritability to the point that sex is the last thing on a woman's mind.
If you are feeling less sexual drive due to any of the above, try speaking openly with your partner to improve your intimacy, find solutions for foreplay, or extra time for sexual arousal.
For example, a silicone-based personal lubricant containing no harmful or synthetic ingredients can help moisten the vulvovaginal skin during foreplay and enhance sexual arousal. Partners can also help with vaginal dilator therapy to improve intimacy along with vaginal dryness.
Sleeping well is an incredibly important facet of overall wellness and a healthy female libido. Poor sleep can result in fatigue, low moods, and hormone imbalances, with each negatively impacting the libido. If your sleep is disrupted, it's worth working out why and taking steps to improve it.
Although exercising regularly is performed by some to stay fit, aerobic exercise also improves cardiovascular health, blood circulation, physical appearance, self-esteem, overall health, stamina, energy levels, moods, and hormone balance. If your libido is low, regular exercise could be a game changer.
Conclusion
Low libido in women happens for several reasons throughout life. These are generally linked to hormone changes, lack of intimacy, relationship issues, unhealthy lifestyle choices, low energy levels, or stress, or underlying medical conditions.
A Mediterranean diet is filled with foods rich in iron, zinc, vitamin D, B vitamins, L-arginine, quercetin, and citrulline, all of which support sexual health and libido. Daily supplements containing similar nutrients and vitamins are recommended if they are not sufficiently ingested via food.
Comfortable vaginal dilators made from medical-grade silicone are a top tip for easing vaginal dryness, a common cause of lowered libido in women. Communicating openly with your partner, regular exercise, and good sleep will also help boost libido.
If none of the above suggestions help to boost your libido, make an appointment with your healthcare practitioner to determine if an underlying medical condition could be the culprit.
References
National Library of Medicine - Neuroanatomy and function of human sexual behavior: A neglected or unknown issue? - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6908863/
Dietary Approaches to Women's Sexual and Reproductive Health - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8299929/
National Library of Medicine - Sexual function and depressive symptoms in young women with low vitamin D status: a pilot study - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27544743/
National Library of Medicine - Effect of Zinc on Testosterone Levels and Sexual Function of Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34311679/
Psychology Today - Dopamine, Intelligence, and Sex Drive: An Intriguing Nexus - https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-behavioral-microbiome/202404/dopamine-intelligence-and-sex-drive-an-intriguing-nexus
National Library of Medicine - The relationship between iron deficiency anemia and sexual function and satisfaction among reproductive-aged Iranian women - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6283628/
Dr. Barb DePree, M.D., has been a gynecologist and women’s health provider for almost 30 years and a menopause care specialist for the past ten.