‘Can obesity in women affect their libido?’ (Sex Query)

Do women also face sex problems like men? I am a 26-year-old girl and a little fat. I heard that obesity can affect a man’s sex life by giving him erectile dysfunction. I also don’t feel like having sex. Is it because I am fat?  

The direct relationship between obesity and sexual dysfunction in men, particularly erectile dysfunction (ED) or impotence, is definitely more documented and talked about but obese women too face their share of sex-related issues. The most specific reason is hormonal imbalance which is caused due to excess fat in the body. It leads to more sex hormone binding globulins (SHBG) in the system, which binds to testosterone (which is responsible for sexual arousal), thus inhibiting normal sexual desire or libido.

Along with that, obesity can lead to various body image issues which make coitus an uncomfortable proposition. And lastly, though we like to pretend otherwise at times, we live in an anti-fat bias society which assumes fat people are slow, lazy, dumb and unattractive (even though that’s not the case most of the time) and this makes it harder for obese women to find partners. Along with these issues, there’s the unforgiving truth that many sexual positions might not be feasible if one is extremely rotund.  While obesity may affect your sex drive, there are other reasons for low libido in women.

Other than sex-related issues, there’s also evidence to suggest that obese women are likelier to have abnormalities in their eggs, which makes it harder for them to give birth. They are also likely to suffer from failed pregnancies and miscarriages than regular people and in young girls it can lead to thyroid problems and PCOD.

Both men and women are also susceptible to the various obesity-related diseases like diabetes, heart disease and hypertension. However, the bright side is that losing weight is not a hard task. One can improve their sex life and overall health and confidence by just losing a few kilos. What people forget is that the entire situation is in their own hand; they’re in control of their weight. All it takes is a little dedication and motivation. 

Originally published on www.thehealthsite.com