Covid can ‘destroy’ a woman’s sex life and damage lasts for MONTHS, first study finds
WOMEN who've had Covid are more likely to have bedroom troubles than those who've never picked up the infection, a study has found.
The viral disease could hamper blood flow to the genitals, resulting in less arousal and sexual satisfaction, the scientists said.
Dr Amelia M Stanton, study author from Boston University, said: "It might be surprising to some folks that long Covid symptoms really may have a physiological and psychological impact on sexual well-being for women."
The US team discovered that women who had never had the bug had "significantly higher" levels of desire, arousal, lubrication, and satisfaction compared to women who had had the virus.
On top of this, those with long Covid reported significantly worse arousal, lubrication, orgasm, and pain, compared to the other groups, the team revealed.
Around 2.1million Brits are already thought to have long Covid, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggests.
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That accounts for those still experiencing symptoms four weeks after recovery from the bug.
Previous research has shown that the condition can damage the lining of blood vessels, which can disrupt flow in other parts of the body.
The latest study, published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, surveyed 1,313 women to see how long Covid affected women's sex drive.
The researchers divided the women into three groups: those who met the criteria for long Covid, those who'd had the bug at least once and those who had never tested positive.
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Each woman was given a quiz which asked several questions about their sex life, like "Over the past four weeks, how often did you feel sexual desire?"
Those who had been infected with Covid scored 8.5 per cent lower when it came to desire, 2.5 per cent less arousal, and three per cent less satisfaction when compared with women who had never caught the bug.
Meanwhile, women with long Covid suffered even more. This group had 12 per cent less desire, five per cent less arousal, and five per cent less lubrication than their peers who avoided Covid.
Although the team could not say exactly why women with the disease had a lower sex drive, they suggested it could be down to blood flow issues in the genitals.
"Long covid may reflect, in part, underlying sensitivity to bodily sensations, discomfort, or pain," they wrote.
What else might be causing my low sex drive?
THERE are many possible reasons for having a low sex drive (loss of libido).
Some of the main causes are:
- Relationship problems
- Stress, anxiety or depression
- Sexual problems like erectile dysfunction or vaginal dryness
- Pregnancy and having a baby – your hormone levels change when you're pregnant, and looking after a baby can be stressful and tiring
- Lower hormone levels as you get older, particularly during the menopause
- Taking certain medicines, such as medicine for high blood pressure or antidepressants
- Using hormonal contraception like the pill, patch or implant
- Drinking too much alcohol
Some long-term conditions can also affect your sex drive, such as heart disease, diabetes, an underactive thyroid or cancer.
Source: NHS