Putting a Name to What You are Experiencing
This post is sponsored by the #righttodesire campaign to bring awareness to female Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder.
I remember the night I was nursing Ezra when the Huffpost article appeared in my feed. I clicked on it and there it was: diastatis recti, a tearing that happens in the abdomen, often after multiple pregnancies. It described all the symptoms I was having – low back pain, shortness of breath, the mommy pooch. I thought I was just tired from three little kids and had a pooch because of those three pregnancies.
But it had a name. And knowing that name provided me with something I could talk to my doctor about. It gave me confidence. It empowered me.
As I shared last month, I am writing a sponsored series with Right to Desire to bring about awareness of another name – hypoactive sexual desire disorder. Be sure not to confuse HYPO with HYPER. Hyper means too much, and hypo means too little. I’m talking about hypo — women who have little to no sexual desire.
Symptoms of HSDD
If you are wondering if you might have HSDD, consider these symptoms:
- You experience low sexual desire no matter the type of sexual activity.
- Your lower sexual desire or lower interest in sex is bothering you.
- Your level of sexual desire or interest in sex has decreased.
- You were satisfied in the past with your level of sexual desire or interest in sex, but no longer are
The key components of HSDD, including low sexual desire and related distress, can negatively impact so many important areas for women including personal attitudes, such as body image and self confidence. This can then lead to interpersonal difficulties, such as feeling less connected to a partner.
Multiple studies show the brain controls desire differently in women with HSDD vs. women with healthy sexual desire. Brain scans show markedly less activity in areas of the brain that are important in sexual response for women who suffer from HSDD. I never realized that desire resides in the brain, although that makes total sense. For some women, their brains may be working against them when it comes to sex. I like the way the doctor explains it in this super short video:
Find a Doctor Who Understands Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder
If HSDD is something that connects with you, I want to encourage you to broach this topic with your primary care physician or OBGYN because the reality is that many doctors aren’t introducing this topic on their own. Or, if you’d rather get immediate access to a doctor who truly understands HSDD, the Right to Desire website offers a telemedicine component, which gives you access to a doctor right from the confines of your home. I love telemedicine!
The Right to Desire website has a lot of other great info about HSDD as well. I really like the simple quiz it offers, which is a great start. They also just launched a funny video that brings levity to this serious topic (don’t watch with kids around).
I hope that for some of you, reading about Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder is like when I read about diastasis recti. It’s that a-ha! What I am feeling has a name. I am not alone. And I can get help for this.
Because you are NOT alone.
Win a $250 Amazon Gift Card
Tonight at 6 pm CST, I’ll be joining the Mom It Forward team for a twitter party about #RighttoDesire. Get more info here. You can win a $250 Amazon gift card. YEOW!