It felt like one day I was a healthy, normal woman and then…I just wasn’t. Nothing had happened to me. I wasn’t subject to infidelity, depressed, or unhappy with my husband. It just suddenly felt like one of my most basic instincts was gone. I simply had no interest in physical intimacy. If you’re a woman experiencing similar feelings, you may have Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD), and you’re no stranger to this feeling.
At first, I was embarrassed and unsure of what to do. What would my friends think? I wasn’t sure I could confide in them. I decided to do some research myself. According to WebMD nearly one-third of women ages 18-59 suffer from a lost interest in sex. I also learned that The Society for Women’s Health Research estimates that as many as one in ten women suffer from HSDD, which I would later be diagnosed with.[i]
After doing some research and learning how many women experience HSDD, I felt like less of an outcast. I knew it was time to face my symptoms head on and make a trip to my doctor. I explained everything to my doctor; how I was feeling, how I didn’t want to feel, and the toll I knew this was taking on my marriage. It felt like a safe zone where I could say anything. I knew that I had been making excuse after excuse for why my husband and I weren’t being intimate, when in reality, it was because I just didn’t want to.
After I left the doctor I cried because I felt bad for my husband and how I know I had been making him feel. I cried because I had a diagnosis and wasn’t sure what we were facing. I cried for the thousands of other women feeling the way I had been, and hoped they were brave enough to face their feelings.
While HSDD is a complicated disorder and doctors are searching for ways to help. Research studies are being conducted by local physicians that may help to pave the way for potential new treatment options. ActivMed is currently seeking women for current and upcoming studies to help test these new treatments. Qualified candidates who participate will receive evaluations for HSDD and study-related care at no cost. Compensation is also available to qualified participants for travel. To learn more and see how you or someone you love may qualify for an HSDD study, click HERE.
[i] http://www.issm.info/sexual-health-qa/what-is-hsdd/