CFS & Fibromyalgia Living With Your Sex Drive With Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome By Adrienne Dellwo linkedin Adrienne Dellwo is an experienced journalist who was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and has written extensively on the topic. Learn about our editorial process Adrienne Dellwo Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by David Ozeri, MD on October 09, 2020 linkedin David Ozeri, MD, is a board-certified rheumatologist from Tel Aviv, Israel specializing in arthritis, autoimmune diseases, and biologic therapies. Learn about our Medical Review Board David Ozeri, MD on October 09, 2020 Print You're tired. You hurt all over. Exertion can wipe you out for days. When you have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, is it any wonder your sex life isn't great? Comstock / Getty Images On top of it being more difficult, we often find that, after illness strikes, we just don't have much sex drive. That can be hard on your self-esteem and your intimate relationships. So where, exactly, does that sex drive go? Why We Lack the Drive When we know so little about many aspects of our fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, it's startling to know that there's actually a fair amount of research on the libidos of women with these conditions. As you'd expect, multiple studies confirm that we have a lower sex drive than healthy people. However, they don't always agree on why. One of the earlier studies on fibromyalgia and sexual function, published in 2006, suggested that it was more of a psychological problem than a physical one. Researchers based that on their finding that mental distress was a predictor of sexual dysfunction while pain was not. Some later research finds a role for distress and other mental/emotional factors as well but also found numerous physical reasons. Other studies link sexual dysfunction in fibromyalgia to: Tenderness, judged by tender-point countPain from sexInadequate lubricationBeing dissatisfied with the relationshipAnxietyPoor sleep quality Chronic fatigue syndrome studies tie sexual dysfunction to: Comorbid myofascial pain syndrome, or Sjogren's syndromeMore cognitive and neurological symptomsMore intense fatigue Interestingly, one study compared women with chronic fatigue syndrome to other healthy women to see how fatigue impacted their perceptions of sex. They found that fatigue had a much greater negative impact on healthy women. The researchers speculated that the difference reflected an altered perception of fatigue in people who live with it all the time. Drug-Related Sexual Dysfunction Many of us are on medications (such as antidepressants or anti-seizure drugs) that can lower sex drive. All three of the FDA-approved drugs for fibromyalgia—Lyrica (pregabalin), Cymbalta (duloxetine), Savella (milnacipran)—can cause a loss of libido, although it's not a common side effect of them. Other classes of drugs that can cause sexual dysfunction include: OpiatesMuscle relaxantsNon-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs)TranquilizersHormonesAllergy drugsBlood pressure drugsDiuretics Re-Gaining Your Sex Drive Some medications may help you regain your desire for intimacy, especially if the problem is drug-induced, so talk to your doctor about it. If you believe relationships problems, anxiety, or other mental/emotional issues are causing your problems, you may want to work with a therapist. If major symptoms like pain and fatigue are to blame for your low libido, the best approach is to keep trying to find treatments that help. Regardless, you don't have to give up your sex life. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Learn about treatment and lifestyle changes to cope with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Ablin JN, et al. Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology. 2011 Nov-Dec;29(6 Suppl 69):S44-8. Sexual Dysfunction Is Correlated With Tenderness in Female Fibromyalgia Patients. Amasyali AS, et al. International Journal of Impotence Research. 2015 Nov 19. [Epub ahead of print] Effects of Low Sleep Quality on Sexual Function, in Women With Fibromyalgia. Blazquez A, Alegre J, Ruiz E. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy. 2009;35(5):347-59. 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