my libido is weirdly high on my period???

[buggyguy]

so I've been taking birth control for a month for irregular periods and I started my period last week (July 28th) and since then my libido has been, like, Weirdly high?? Like it's been on a hair trigger the past week and it's difficult to get my mind off it . I don't know if this is like, normal period stuff that I just haven't experienced because my periods have never been normal, or if this is a birth control thing, or if it's a puberty thing or What just kind of wanted to know if other people are like that

[Latha]

Hi Buggyguy — welcome to the boards!

It is hard to definitely say what could have caused this change — it’s plausible that taking birth control could have had an effect on your interest in sex, but puberty also causes the same thing quite often. That said, this isn’t something to worry about, and there are definitely other people whose bodies have reacted similarly. Do these feelings bother you a lot? If you would like, we can talk about how you might manage them.

[buggyguy]

It's not constant but it does crop up at unpleasant times and it's just, Uughhhhhh. My brain keeps wandering while I'm doing theatre tech and it makes it kinda hard to focus? Thankfully I'm not doing like, super important stuff, I just help with scene changes and set stuff but it's still uncomfortable to be thinking about sex backstage surrounded by other people I don't think it interferes too badly it's just. Really insanely new to me and I find it unpleasant

[mikky]

Hey buggyguy,

I think that uncomfortably thinking about sex backstage might be the MOST accurate description of being a theater kid.

These two advice columns might not be exactly your situation, but I think it could be helpful to read some other accounts from folks who feel like their libido is much higher than they are comfortable with:

How to Handle a Libido That Switched from Low to High
I feel sexually frustrated all the time. What do I do?


One thing I am curious about is if you avoid masturbation/sex while on your period?

[buggyguy]

I don't, like, avoid it outright but I do avoid penetration since I don't really enjoy having my own blood everywhere? It's just way more of a Deal than I'm usually willing to deal with

Thank you for the links by the way, really helps to know that this is something Other People Experience and that I'm not alone in

[mikky]

Glad to hear you don't avoid it outright- a lot of folks do, and that can lead to some increased frustration during periods.

I don't know a whole lot about how different birth controls would affect this, but the decreased estrogen in your body during the menstrual phase can also increase libido/arousal. You certainly are not alone!

[mikky]

Edit- I was using an older article as a reference, and shared some misinformation! Estrogen is actually an arousal booster. Still, sex hormones fluctuate and there is a wide spectrum that encompasses "normal."