low libido--because of pill or not?

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-11-2006
low libido--because of pill or not?
1
Sat, 11-04-2006 - 5:26pm

I have been on Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo for about four years, and gradually over that time my sex drive has dropped from high or at least normal, down to pretty much nothing. Of course, I don't really have any way of knowing if this is because of the pill or not. If it is, I'd like to try something else, but if it's not, I don't really want to deal with a whole new set of side effects when I'm otherwise happy with what I'm on.

So my question is--is low libido the kind of side effect that usually happens right away if it happens at all, or is it common for it to develop gradually like this, over several years? Am I likely to benefit from switching to another pill? Or is it more likely I'll benefit from switching to a different method like an IUD? Or, is it more likely this has nothing to do with my contraception at all?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Sun, 11-05-2006 - 9:34am

Loss of libido is one the more common complaints we hear from pill users.

Judie Cl for Birth Control