Low sexual desire is the most common sexual concern women report, and one of the least often addressed. Most women who raise it are told it is normal for their age, or stress, or something to accept. It is usually none of those. At Slender Me Medical in Corona, we work out what is actually driving it and treat that.
First, an Honest Statement
A lot of clinics will tell you low libido is a hormone problem and sell you hormones. Sometimes that is right. Often it is not.
Desire in women is genuinely multifactorial — hormones, medications, pain, sleep, mood, and relationship context all feed into it. In our experience the single most common finding is a medication the woman is already taking that nobody ever connected to the problem. Treating hormones while that goes unexamined wastes your money and your time.
So we start by working out which of these applies to you.
What We Look For
Medications you are already on
This is the first thing we check, because it is common and it is fixable.
SSRI and SNRI antidepressants reduce sexual desire in a substantial proportion of women who take them. So can hormonal contraceptives, some blood pressure medications, certain antihistamines, and others. Many women are prescribed one of these, notice their desire disappear months later, and never link the two.
There are often alternatives, dose adjustments, or strategies that preserve the benefit while reducing the effect. That conversation is worth having before anything else.
Pain, dryness, or discomfort with sex
If sex hurts, or you are bracing for discomfort, desire drops. That is not a psychological failing — it is your body doing exactly what it should.
Vaginal dryness and thinning tissue are extremely common after menopause and highly treatable, often with local treatment that barely enters the bloodstream. For a lot of women, treating the discomfort restores desire without touching systemic hormones at all. This is one of the most under-treated problems in women’s health.
Sleep
Chronic sleep deprivation suppresses desire reliably. If you are waking at 3am with night sweats, or simply not sleeping, that alone may be the answer. Fixing sleep is often the highest-yield intervention available.
Mood, stress and anxiety
Depression and anxiety both reduce desire — and so do some of the medications used to treat them, which puts women in a genuine bind. It is worth untangling rather than accepting.
Other medical causes
Thyroid disease, iron deficiency, elevated prolactin and poorly controlled diabetes all reduce desire and are all identifiable on lab work. We check.
And yes — hormones
Estrogen decline contributes both directly and through dryness and sleep disruption. Testosterone declines with age in women too, and it plays a real role in desire.
Which brings us to the part most women are never told about.
Testosterone: The Conversation Most Women Never Get
Women produce testosterone. Levels decline with age. It is not a men’s hormone.
Here is the situation stated plainly: there are more than thirty FDA-approved testosterone products for men and none approved for women in the United States. Two attempts at approval failed. Australia is currently the only country with an approved product for women. The result is that testosterone in women is prescribed off-label, and many providers simply never raise it.
What the evidence supports: the major medical societies endorse testosterone specifically for women with distressing low sexual desire after menopause. That is the indication with the strongest evidence behind it, and for the right woman it works.
What we will not claim: studies have not established that testosterone improves energy, brain fog, bone density or body composition in women. Some patients report feeling better in those ways. We are not going to tell you it is proven when it is not.
Delivery matters: creams and gels allow small, adjustable doses and are what clinical guidelines favor. Pellets are more convenient but cannot be adjusted once placed. We will talk through the tradeoff with you.
Testosterone is a controlled substance, which affects how and where it can be prescribed. We treat patients in person at our Corona clinic and by telehealth in states where we hold the required licensure and registration.
There Are Also FDA-Approved Medications
Non-hormonal options exist specifically for low sexual desire, and they are widely unknown.
Flibanserin
A non-hormonal tablet taken nightly. It was approved in 2015 for premenopausal women, and in December 2025 the FDA expanded its approval to include postmenopausal women under 65. That was the first time an FDA-approved option existed for this group at all, and it is recent enough that many providers are not yet aware of it.
It works on brain chemistry rather than hormones, so it is an option for women who cannot or would rather not take hormone therapy.
Bremelanotide
An as-needed injection given at least 45 minutes before activity, approved in 2019 for premenopausal women with acquired, generalized low desire. Unlike flibanserin it has no alcohol restriction.
What these are and are not
Neither is a stimulant and neither works like ED medication in men. They address desire rather than physical response, the effect is meaningful rather than dramatic, and they are appropriate for a specific pattern — desire that was once there, has since gone, causes you distress, and is not explained by a medication, another condition, or your relationship. Part of our job is telling you honestly whether you fit that picture.
Important Safety Information
Flibanserin carries a boxed warning for severe low blood pressure and fainting, particularly when taken close in time to alcohol. It is taken at bedtime, alcohol should be stopped at least two hours before the dose, and the dose should be skipped entirely after three or more drinks. It is contraindicated in liver impairment and with certain other medications, and it can cause drowsiness and dizziness. It is not indicated for women 65 or older.
Testosterone in women can cause acne, unwanted hair growth, and at higher doses voice changes that may not be reversible — which is why dose and delivery method matter and why we monitor.
Hormone therapy is not appropriate for every woman, particularly with a history of breast or other hormone-sensitive cancer, blood clots, or unexplained vaginal bleeding.
This page is general information, not medical advice. What is appropriate for you is decided at your consultation after we review your history and your medications.
What to Expect at Your Visit
A real conversation, without embarrassment on either side. We will ask when this changed, whether it is with all partners and situations or specific ones, what medications you take, how you are sleeping, and whether sex is uncomfortable. Then lab work where it helps — thyroid, iron, prolactin, and hormone levels.
Then a plan, which may be changing a medication, treating discomfort, addressing sleep, hormone therapy, an FDA-approved medication, or a combination. Frequently it is more than one thing, because more than one thing is usually going on.
Why Patients Choose Us
- We check your medication list first, because that is so often the answer
- We treat the discomfort, not just the desire — pain and dryness drive this more than most women realize
- We offer both hormonal and non-hormonal options, including medications many providers do not know are available
- We discuss testosterone honestly, including what the evidence does and does not show
- Physician-supervised care with licensed nurse practitioners managing your program
- In Corona since 2011, and you see the same people every visit
In-Office or Telehealth
We see patients in person at our Corona clinic and by telehealth in the states where we are licensed. Most of what is discussed here is not controlled, so remote care is straightforward. Testosterone is the exception — tell us where you live and we will confirm what we can do.
Serving Corona and the Inland Empire
Our clinic is at 2083 Compton Avenue, Suite 101, Corona, CA 92881, with ample parking and discreet scheduling. We see patients from Corona, Norco, Eastvale, Riverside, Chino Hills, Temescal Valley and the surrounding Inland Empire.
Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 8:30am–5:00pm. Wednesday 8:30am–6:00pm. Closed Sunday.
Phone: (951) 898-8515
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this just a normal part of getting older?
Desire does change over a lifetime. But a marked drop that distresses you is not something you have to accept, and it usually has an identifiable cause.
Could it be my antidepressant?
Very possibly. This is one of the most common causes we find and one of the most commonly missed. Do not stop anything on your own — bring it to us and we will look at the options.
Is there a female Viagra?
Not in the way people mean. ED medication addresses blood flow; the approved medications for women address desire, which is a different problem with a different mechanism.
I’m postmenopausal. Are there any approved options for me?
Yes, and this changed recently. Until December 2025 there was no FDA-approved medication for low desire in postmenopausal women. There is now, for women under 65.
Do I have to take hormones?
No. There are non-hormonal medications, and if the cause turns out to be a medication, sleep, or discomfort, treating that may resolve it without hormones at all.
Why has no one offered me testosterone?
Because there is no FDA-approved product for women in the US, so many providers never raise it. That does not mean it has no role.
Do you take insurance?
We are a cash-pay practice. Some labs may be billable to your insurance and we will discuss costs openly before you commit.
This is worth bringing up
Book a consultation at our Corona clinic or by telehealth. It is a straightforward conversation, we have it often, and there is usually more that can be done than you have been told.
Book Your Consultation or call (951) 898-8515