Young and low libido... has this happen to anybody else?

[Pancho Pantera]

I tried posting this in the "healthy penis" section, but I thought it might be appropriate here or maybe there's someone with the same problem. I'm 23, and lately, I've been experiencing a very low libido. I stopped masturbating to see what would happen (easy to do when you have no sex drive lol). I got harder erections at first, but then the urges stopped and my libido was as low as before. Once in a while I get a morning wood. It's been around 22 days since the last time I masturbated... no wet dreams (haven't had one since I was 14). Has anybody had similar problems at my age?

PS. I tried using the "search" function and couldnt' find much.

 

[txnrude]

Should try and pinpoint when it started and then any things that have changed since before that time.

 

[Pancho Pantera]

Should try and pinpoint when it started and then any things that have changed since before that time.

Well, you see, that's the hard part. It didn't just happen right away. Sometimes, I would get rock hard boners throughout the day for a few weeks, then my libido would drop for the next few weeks, etc. etc. But it's just lately that my libido hasn't bounced back. When I masturbated, often times I felt like I didn't physically feel the urge. I'm still capable of cumming and inducing an erection (although probably not as hard), but I don't really want to.

 

[Oncamale28]

tell your doctor, maybe some sort of imbalance, or stress, depression, all sorts of things...

 

[gjorg]

If my libido feels down I watch some porn and boing

 

[spr1280]

my doctor says stress, depression, and the actual thought of sex makes a guy nervous and the dong says so long. i found when you do something that exites you or doing different things helped to bring the wood back... try having porn on while having sex, it stimulates your mind.

 

[Meniscus]

Well, you see, that's the hard part. It didn't just happen right away. Sometimes, I would get rock hard boners throughout the day for a few weeks, then my libido would drop for the next few weeks, etc. etc. But it's just lately that my libido hasn't bounced back. When I masturbated, often times I felt like I didn't physically feel the urge. I'm still capable of cumming and inducing an erection (although probably not as hard), but I don't really want to.

I already resonded to your other post, but I just want to say that this is exactly the same thing that I went through. I'd go through a high libido phase, then a low libido phase. The high libido phases got shorter and less frequent, and the low libido phases got longer and longer. I'm capable of getting and erection (not as hard, more difficult to maintain) and having an orgasm, so I masturbate sometimes even though I have no desire to do so, but I'm not really into it.

For me, porn doesn't help. I used to enjoy it, but now it does very little for me. I'm pretty indifferent to it. I haven't really been able to find anything that turns me on.

I wish I had some magical solution for you, but I don't. Again, see your doctor to rule out any physical cause. Do your best to live a full, healthy, active life. Get counseling for stress or depression if you need it. I'm rooting for you.

 

[Pancho Pantera]

I already resonded to your other post, but I just want to say that this is exactly the same thing that I went through. I'd go through a high libido phase, then a low libido phase. The high libido phases got shorter and less frequent, and the low libido phases got longer and longer. I'm capable of getting and erection (not as hard, more difficult to maintain) and having an orgasm, so I masturbate sometimes even though I have no desire to do so, but I'm not really into it.

For me, porn doesn't help. I used to enjoy it, but now it does very little for me. I'm pretty indifferent to it. I haven't really been able to find anything that turns me on.

I wish I had some magical solution for you, but I don't. Again, see your doctor to rule out any physical cause. Do your best to live a full, healthy, active life. Get counseling for stress or depression if you need it. I'm rooting for you.

I guess you're right. I've been kind of dreading going to the doctor, but if if I'm feeling good emotionally, I guess the problem would HAVE to be physical, if there's any detectable problem all lol. Porn doesn't do much for me anymore either, but I think that has more to do with how predictable it's gotten. I lost my interest in porn waaayyy before I lost my libido. Thanks for the advise and support man. You said you went through the same thing. Did you ever get that resolved?

 

[B_bobs3304]

I'm going through something similiar here.


I can almost pinpoint when I lost my libido, and I was only 20.


It's funny, I've always had to put up with alot of stress at home as a kid, but I guess as I was getting kicked out of my house and systematically alienated from home, my libido suddenly started waning, and I experienced what I can only describe as a "hard" softee.....where the tissue was sort of firm instead of nice and plump.


I've done PE in the past, so it COULD be physical damage, but I seriously doubt that. I think this "new" kind of stress is fucking with my mojo.



I've tried not masturbating like you. I've tried pills, I've tried drinking lots of water, I'm just gonna head to my therapist next week, see if I can get me some Wellbutrin rx, and then head to my doctor to get my testosterone levels checked....


Exercise helps TEMPORARILY...

 

[Pancho Pantera]

I'm going through something similiar here.


I can almost pinpoint when I lost my libido, and I was only 20.


It's funny, I've always had to put up with alot of stress at home as a kid, but I guess as I was getting kicked out of my house and systematically alienated from home, my libido suddenly started waning, and I experienced what I can only describe as a "hard" softee.....where the tissue was sort of firm instead of nice and plump.


I've done PE in the past, so it COULD be physical damage, but I seriously doubt that. I think this "new" kind of stress is fucking with my mojo.



I've tried not masturbating like you. I've tried pills, I've tried drinking lots of water, I'm just gonna head to my therapist next week, see if I can get me some Wellbutrin rx, and then head to my doctor to get my testosterone levels checked....


Exercise helps TEMPORARILY...

Wow, man. That's tough. I hope it's nothing physical in your case. I been fortunate enough not to have too much stress in my life lately, so I can't imagine my emotional state influencing my libido. It's more than likely something physical with me. I hope your tests come out okay. Good luck.

 

[Meniscus]

...Thanks for the advise and support man. You said you went through the same thing. Did you ever get that resolved?

You're welcome. As for getting my own problems resolved, I'm sorry to say that the answer is no, I haven't, but I should also say that I haven't really been trying to do anything about it. I haven't been taking my own advice.

I only got as far as seeing my doctor. I just went to my regular doctor, not a specialist. As I mentioned in my reply to bobs3304, I had my testosterone levels checked. I got the results in the mail. They were normal. I have not yet gone back to my doctor to see if he has any other ideas with regards to causes or treatments, but I think I will call this week and set up an appointment. Replying to you and bobs has kinda given me the kick in the pants I needed to deal with my own shit.

With regards to testosterone levels, there's no universal agreement on what "normal" is. My doctor says normal is 200-1200, which is quite a significant range. But I did a little bit of research and some labs use a different scale, like 300-1500. Some say that age should be considered in interpreting the results. For example, someone in his 20s should be at the high end of normal, someone my age should be a bit lower, and so on, as the age goes up.

Low testosterone can have symptoms other than lack of libido, including loss of muscle mass, loss of bone density (sometimes leading to osteoporosis), hair loss (including body hair), shrinking of the penis, memory loss, inability to concentrate, depression, mood swings, and decreased performance in all areas of life.

My testosterone level was 355, which is within the normal range, but definitely at the low end of normal. I also had my "free testosterone" levels measured. The normal range is 10-55. Mine was 17, so again, that's at the low end of normal. It's probably unusually low for someone my age. Personally, I think this is the reason for my lack of libido. I have enough testosterone to maintain my body, there isn't enough leftover to "fuel" my libido, so to speak.

If I'm right, and I need to talk to my doctor again to find out, I'll have to find out what my options are. I'm afraid he's going to say that there's nothing he can do, which is one of the reasons I haven't gone back yet.

 

[Dave NoCal]

You need to be skeptical when a lab value is pronounced to be "normal." I am not a statistician, far from it, but natural phenomena manifest in a scatter of intensity that is called a bell curve. Basically what that says is that the vast majority of values would be in the middle. In the case of the testosterone numbers that Meniscus provided, that would be 700-900.

An example of the bell curve is height. Here in the U.S. men probably have a mean (total average) of about 5' 10." A random population of men might range from 5' 1" to 6' 5" but the vast majority would be between 5'8" and 6' 0." Probably 80% would be between 5' 9" and 5' 11." About 7.5 percent might fall between 5"7" and 5'9" and another 7.5 % might fall between 5' 11" and 6' 1." That would leave 2.5% between 5' 1" and 5'7" and a final 2.5 " between 6'1" and 6'5." These are not exact numbers, I'm just trying to illustrate a concept.

If you consider a tesoterone range of 200-1200, 80% night be between 550-650. 7.5% might be between 400-650 and another 7.5 % might be between 650-800. That would leave just 2.5% to be between 200 and 400 and another 2.5% to be between 800 and 1200.

I had low testosterone and had several doctors say my 300 level was "normal." I finally found a great endocinologist (hormone specialist) who pointed out that each guy has a level, or range, that is NORMAL FOR HIM. Unless you have a historircal record, you have no way of knowing what is normal for you when you are not having problems. In my case, normal seems to be 500-600.

If you are on the low end of normal and having symptoms of low testosterone something needs to be done to bring it up. In many doctors, the threshold for starting treatment is a testosterone level that has fallen below 400.

 

[Meniscus]

I had low testosterone and had several doctors say my 300 level was "normal." I finally found a great endocinologist (hormone specialist) who pointed out that each guy has a level, or range, that is NORMAL FOR HIM. Unless you have a historircal record, you have no way of knowing what is normal for you when you are not having problems...

Thanks for your reply, Dave, you make an excellent point. When I got my results, I thought the same thing. I'm willing to bet that up until I started having this problem, my testosterone levels were a lot higher. If I had a historical record, say from a year ago (when the problem started) going back every 6 months or so before that for a few years, it would show that my normal range should be higher and that about a year ago (maybe even before that) I started experiencing a decline in my levels.

I'll go back to my regular doctor first, but if he says there's nothing he can do, I'll try to find an endocrinologist. Thanks again.

 

[Dave NoCal]

You are welcome. I'l just repeat for emphaisi, when a arange of 200-1200 or 300-1500 is given, in a normal distribution the VAST majority of the cases will be in the mid-range. Stick to your guns.
Dave

 

[B_bobs3304]

Dave:

I haven't hit up my doctor yet. Should I bypass him and go straight to a urologist or endrocronologist first?



Keep in mind the "soreness" and "stiffness" I'm experiencin, which may or mite not be physical too...

 

[2322]

Dave:

I haven't hit up my doctor yet. Should I bypass him and go straight to a urologist or endrocronologist first? Keep in mind the "soreness" and "stiffness" I'm experiencin, which may or mite not be physical too...

Oh been there, done that. The guy you're looking for is an andrologist. They're combination urologist/endocrinologists.

 

[Rikter8]

already good advice here.

I too am like many of you that have experienced it.
It could be Depression/Anxiety, a mix, Diet, smoking, or a host of other issues.
Low testosterone could be the ticket, but you won't know until they draw blood and evaluate it to know for sure.

The best thing to do, is see your doctor and tell him what's going on.

"New Kind of stress" - I couldnt agree more. Young adults and Adults are under more stress now than ever before, and your starting to see the results of it.

C

 

[Gnashin Teefe]

i know this is an old thread, but did you ever get this problem resolved?

the reason why i ask is ...

i have a friend (only 22 years old) who is going through the same problem. no libido, virtually no erections (not even morning wood). if he forces himself to masturbate, he has difficulty staying hard and it will take 20 minutes to cum. he can't get excited emotionally about girls either.

he has visited endocrinologist and was tested for various things. testosterone is low-normal.

i'd love to help my friend out if you have learned anything more in the last year since this thread went stale.