Off the pill - what on earth has happened to my libido!

[Thelimitdoesnotexist9]

I went on the pill at 15, came off it to have DD at 29, and fell pregnant in the first month. Went straight back on it after I had her and for a few reasons (no periods, bad skin, mood swings) I’ve decided at 32 to come off hormonal contraception.

I’ve been off it for 2 months and I’m now some sex starved animal? Is this normal? Is this just what life feels like off the pill?

I’ve been on it for 15+ years and thought I had a normal sex drive but now I think I may have missed out all these years. I think DH is a mix of terrified and ecstatic but it’s honestly a bit distracting 😂 will it calm down?

It calms down! You are in peak breeding years, about 38-42 you'll get an even bigger drive then pooooof it will vanish!

I was on the pill from 15-32 and I was also astounded at how my libido increased when I went off it. I honestly think that side effect (from stopping ovulation) is little understood or talked about because women's sexual needs have been given so little priority. I got pregnant so that calmed it down as I was no longer ovulating. But it came back again eventually, less strong of course but still a huge increase over the pill days.

I am now 51 though and I strongly disagree that sex drive evaporates in your early 40s. I am still very much up for it but it doesn't follow a monthly pattern anymore as I am no longer ovulating regularly.

Maybe in your case but not the case with my friends and what my mums generation have said, they say their drive has gone mad in late 40s and 50s and having the best sex of their lives. Something about confidence of age and not worrying about pregnancy

Ah jeez I’m not sure I can handle it getting worse 😂 I guess I’m just shocked I was that numb this entire time, it’s almost life changing!

@Disturbia81 at 49 now I'll look forward to that stage coming back then!!

I hope you do too! I'm 44 and it's gone insane, I think a lot of it is confidence

Yes the pill numbed me too, mad isn't it? Something that's meant to enable us to have more sex as we don't have to worry, yet it deadens any urges so we have little to no sex. It does the job of stopping pregnancy too well 😂 Not everyone but certainly a lot of us

Well, the feminist in me says that no one cared to know if the pill affects women's libidos because it meant they were sexually available to men without the risk of unwanted pregnancy and that was the key aim of the product.

The pill impacted on my libido in my early 20s (40s now), l’d been on it since 15. I had a much healthier sex life and desire after switching back to condoms. It was certainly worth it.

Enjoy it OP.

Nit necessarily! I am late 40s, menopausal and mine is still going strong!

You can't generalise that much. But yes hormonal contraception often diminishes it for many women. And I do think we should be warned if this more.

Does anyone think it has a cumulative effect? Because i was a bit of a nympho off the pill when married in my 20s and babies occurring wasnt a problem for us. Then i got divorced, got a new relationship, went on the pill and was fine for 2yrs but then all of a sudden the tap got turned off overnight and i've been DEAD between the legs for 3yrs :( nothing 'changed' so i've been struggling to understand. I've been having duty sex every 3 days with poor dp to keep him happy 🙈 but we cant go on like this forever. I love the other benefits of the pill because i got terrible PMS so loath to give it up! Would also have to come up with a good contraceptive plan and thats tough because condoms irritate me, the coil made my life hell and docs refuse to sterilise 🙄

....sorry to thread hijack OP!

Certainly! I was fine for a number of years, then went into gradual decline, although l had a number of stimulating friendships at the time, so boredom had not crept in. Some 3 or more months after switching back to condoms l was firing on 5 out of 4 cylinders again 😉.