Does Contraception Affect Your Sex Drive?

One of the strangest complaints that you'll see on online forums comes from women who start going on the Pill, only to realize that they no longer are interested in sex. For many of us, it may seem foreign.

Sex is an innate drive that we as humans are supposed to have. How can contraception affect your sex drive? Isn't it a part of you? Believe it or not, it all depends on what kind of contraception you choose.

Some contraception can and will affect your libido – but not all. Here's how the different kinds of contraception affect your sex drive, according to experts.

Birth Control Pills

The Pill, as it's colloquially known, had revolutionized the sex lives of millions (if not billions) of women. That being said, birth control pills are filled with hormones that can "trick" the female body into thinking it's pregnant.

The most common kinds of birth control pills are "combination pills" These kinds of contraception affect your sex drive in a number of ways. A pretty decent portion of women (around 15 percent) notice that they tend to have lower interest in sex when they start using the pill.

However, there are some women out there who have the exact opposite issue. They find the idea of not having to worry about condoms to be hot, and that may actually make them go a bit wild.

Overall, of all the forms of birth control out there, birth control pills are the one category most likely to affect your sex drive. That being said, how does contraception affect your sex drive will vary from person to person - especially when on the pill.

Hormonal IUDs Or Implants

Whenever you hear about hormones, you can almost always bet that a certain portion of users will have their sex drives affected. This is also true with hormone-based IUDs (a small, t-shaped piece of plastic inserted into the uterus to provide birth control) like Mirena.

Though most women have no problem with the low-hormone releases caused by IUDs like Mirena, there are a small handful of girls who experience a lowered sex drive.

That being said, many women find hormone birth control sex to be hotter than condom sex, simply because of the spontaneity and the "skinless" feel of their partner.

Does contraception affect your sex drive if you have a hormonal IUD? Well, maybe. Not everyone experiences a dip or a boost in libido, so it's worth a shot.

Non-Hormonal IUDs

IUDs that don't incorporate hormones are an excellent birth control option for women who aren't very keen on lowering their sex drives. Assuming you're okay with possibly getting a heavier period, this form of birth control will not reduce your libido - at least, not hormonally.

Essure, Tubal Ligations, Or Dual Salpingectomies.

These three forms of birth control are both non-hormonal and permanent in nature. Since they don't involve hormones, your sex drive will not be affected by them. Surgical sterilizations are cool like that.

Similarly, the same can be said for vasectomies for men. It's a permanent form of birth control, but will not affect your sex drive - as a man or as a vasectomied man's partner.

Condoms

Condoms, by nature, won't hormonally affect sex drives in men or women. However, there are both men and women out there who just refuse to have sex while using this kind of birth control. So, if you look at it that way, yes, these forms of contraception affect your sex drive.

But, realistically, if you're having sex, you need to wear condoms – especially if you are fertile and dealing with multiple partners. In fact, they are kind of necessary if you want to prevent both pregnancy and disease.

If a partner refuses to wear a condom, you are better off finding a new partner. You don't need that risk.

Does contraception affect your sex drive all the time? Not if you have a sterilization surgery or a non-hormonal IUD.