{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,18]],"date-time":"2026-04-18T00:23:21Z","timestamp":1776471801633,"version":"3.51.2"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,19]],"date-time":"2023-01-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1674086400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/journals\/pages\/open_access\/funder_policies\/chorus\/standard_publication_model"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2023,2,27]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>The true prevalence of low sexual desire among women is disputed among researchers due to the complex nature and presentation of women\u2019s sexual problems.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Aim<\/jats:title><jats:p>To qualitatively analyze the aspects of libido\/sexual desire frequently discussed by Reddit users and compare them with the current understanding of female sexual well-being and sexual desire disorders.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>By using the Reddit application programming interface, the TwoXChromosomes subreddit was queried for posts with the keywords libido and sex drive. Posts that were deleted or unrelated to themes of libido\/sex drive were excluded. A total of 85 threads\u201463 queried from the keyword libido and 22 from sex drive\u2014and approximately 2900 comments were qualitatively analyzed per the grounded theory approach. Five independent researchers read and coded each thread to identify dominant themes and emergent concepts.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Outcomes<\/jats:title><jats:p>Outcomes of interest included codes related to sexual dysfunction, libido, orgasm, masturbation, types of sex, psychology, relationships, intimacy, treatment, medications, and health care.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>Posters were primarily heterosexual women in their 20s and 30s. The code categories with the highest frequency were relationships (22.7%, n =\u2009272), libido (22.2%, n =\u2009210), psychological (20.2%, n =\u2009191), medications (7.29%, n =\u200969), and intimacy (6.0%, n =\u200957). Users frequently described a decrease in libido secondary to medications, particularly antidepressants and hormonal birth control. Many users discussed the challenges of navigating a relationship with low sexual desire and the resulting sexual distress. Posters described feelings of sadness, anxiety, and guilt due to their low desire. Additionally, users discussed the role that sex plays in relationships, whether as a way to develop intimacy between partners or to achieve orgasm. Finally, posters expressed dissatisfaction with health care addressing their concerns surrounding sexual desire.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Clinical Implications<\/jats:title><jats:p>The study findings\u2014namely, the impact of medications on sexual health, the interaction of sexual desire and mental health, and cited examples of inadequate sexual health care\u2014can help guide sexual well-being research, diagnosis, and public policy.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Strengths and Limitations<\/jats:title><jats:p>Using Reddit as a data source allowed for the analysis of women\u2019s experiences outside the preestablished concepts of female sexual desire. Limitations to the study include the potential for posts to be deleted by moderator guidelines, the young demographic distribution of Reddit users, and the popularity-based structure of subreddit threads.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>Our results emphasize the psychosocial aspects of sexual desire and the need to redefine sexual problems to encompass the complex nature of female sexual well-being.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1093\/jsxmed\/qdac045","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,19]],"date-time":"2023-01-19T13:38:07Z","timestamp":1674135487000},"page":"287-297","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["A qualitative analysis of female Reddit users\u2019 experiences with low libido: how do women perceive their changes in sexual desire?"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"20","author":[{"given":"Rachael E","family":"Belcher","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine, University of Maryland , Baltimore, MD 21201 , United States"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Danielle","family":"Sim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine, University of Maryland , Baltimore, MD 21201 , United States"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marcella","family":"Meykler","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Albert Einstein College of Medicine , Bronx, NY 10461 , United States"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jeunice","family":"Owens-Walton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University , Augusta, GA 30912 , United States"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Naeemul","family":"Hassan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Maryland , College Park, MD 20742 , United States"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Rachel S","family":"Rubin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Georgetown University Department of Urology, , Georgetown, Washington, DC 20007 , United States"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Rena D","family":"Malik","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Maryland Department of Urology, , Baltimore, MD 21201 , United States"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"2023030118053252400_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1176\/appi.books.9780890425596","volume-title":"Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders","author":"American Psychiatric Association","year":"2013","edition":"5th ed."},{"issue":"5","key":"2023030118053252400_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"970","DOI":"10.1097\/AOG.0b013e3181898cdb","article-title":"Sexual problems and distress in United States women: prevalence and correlates","volume":"112","author":"Shifren","year":"2008","journal-title":"Obstet Gynecol"},{"issue":"4","key":"2023030118053252400_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"777","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1743-6109.2007.00768.x","article-title":"What is the \u201ctrue\u201d prevalence of female sexual dysfunctions and does the way we assess these conditions have an impact?","volume":"5","author":"Hayes","year":"2008","journal-title":"J Sex Med"},{"issue":"3","key":"2023030118053252400_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"259","DOI":"10.1097\/JCP.0b013e3181a5233f","article-title":"Treatment-emergent sexual dysfunction related to antidepressants: a meta-analysis","volume":"29","author":"Serretti","year":"2009","journal-title":"J Clin Psychopharmacol"},{"issue":"2","key":"2023030118053252400_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"462","DOI":"10.1111\/jsm.12409","article-title":"Hormonal contraception and female pain, orgasm and sexual pleasure","volume":"11","author":"Smith","year":"2014","journal-title":"J Sex Med"},{"issue":"5","key":"2023030118053252400_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1214","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1743-6109.2008.00780.x","article-title":"Sexual function in well women: stratification by sexual satisfaction, hormone use, and menopause status","volume":"5","author":"Davison","year":"2008","journal-title":"J Sex Med"},{"issue":"3","key":"2023030118053252400_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"193","DOI":"10.1023\/A:1023420431760","article-title":"Distress about sex: a national survey of women in heterosexual relationships","volume":"32","author":"Bancroft","year":"2003","journal-title":"Arch Sex Behav"},{"issue":"6","key":"2023030118053252400_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"537","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.281.6.537","article-title":"Sexual dysfunction in the United States: prevalence and predictors","volume":"281","author":"Laumann","year":"1999","journal-title":"JAMA"},{"issue":"2","key":"2023030118053252400_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"477","DOI":"10.1097\/AOG.0000000000000620","article-title":"Female sexual dysfunction: focus on low desire","volume":"125","author":"Kingsberg","year":"2015","journal-title":"Obstet Gynecol"},{"issue":"12","key":"2023030118053252400_","first-page":"2877","article-title":"Female sexual dysfunction: prevalence and risk factors","volume":"7","author":"Jaafarpour","year":"2013","journal-title":"J Clin Diagn Res"},{"issue":"8","key":"2023030118053252400_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e608","DOI":"10.1016\/S2468-2667(21)00099-2","article-title":"What is sexual wellbeing and why does it matter for public health?","volume":"6","author":"Mitchell","year":"2021","journal-title":"Lancet Public Health"},{"issue":"12","key":"2023030118053252400_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1888","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jsxm.2016.09.020","article-title":"Toward a more evidence-based nosology and nomenclature for female sexual dysfunctions\u2014part II","volume":"13","author":"Parish","year":"2016","journal-title":"J Sex Med"},{"key":"2023030118053252400_","author":"Reddit","year":"2021"},{"issue":"2","key":"2023030118053252400_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"205630512110190","DOI":"10.1177\/20563051211019004","article-title":"Studying Reddit: a systematic overview of disciplines, approaches, methods, and ethics","volume":"7","author":"Proferes","year":"2021","journal-title":"Soc Media Soc"},{"issue":"4","key":"2023030118053252400_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"547","DOI":"10.1177\/1049732305285972","article-title":"Grounded theory: an exploration of process and procedure","volume":"16","author":"Walker","year":"2006","journal-title":"Qual Health Res"},{"key":"2023030118053252400_","volume-title":"Qualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded Sourcebook","author":"Miles","year":"1994"},{"issue":"6","key":"2023030118053252400_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1549","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1743-6109.2009.01252.x","article-title":"Correlates of sexually related personal distress in women with low sexual desire","volume":"6","author":"Rosen","year":"2009","journal-title":"J Sex Med"},{"issue":"4","key":"2023030118053252400_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"289","DOI":"10.1080\/00926230390195524","article-title":"A survey of sexual side effects among severely mentally ill patients taking psychotropic medications: impact on compliance","volume":"29","author":"Rosenberg","year":"2003","journal-title":"J Sex Marital Ther"},{"issue":"9","key":"2023030118053252400_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2213","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1743-6109.2012.02848.x","article-title":"The effects of hormonal contraceptives on female sexuality: a review","volume":"9","author":"Burrows","year":"2012","journal-title":"J Sex Med"},{"issue":"1","key":"2023030118053252400_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"51","DOI":"10.1016\/S0010-7824(01)00218-9","article-title":"A prospective study of the effects of oral contraceptives on sexuality and well-being and their relationship to discontinuation","volume":"64","author":"Sanders","year":"2001","journal-title":"Contraception"},{"issue":"4","key":"2023030118053252400_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"321","DOI":"10.1071\/SH08021","article-title":"Relationships between condoms, hormonal methods, and sexual pleasure and satisfaction: an exploratory analysis from the Women\u2019s Well-being and Sexuality Study","volume":"5","author":"Higgins","year":"2008","journal-title":"Sex Health"},{"issue":"6","key":"2023030118053252400_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"363","DOI":"10.1016\/0010-7824(95)00226-X","article-title":"The effects of steroidal contraceptives on the well-being and sexuality of women: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, two-centre study of combined and progestogen-only methods","volume":"52","author":"Graham","year":"1995","journal-title":"Contraception"},{"issue":"3","key":"2023030118053252400_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"237","DOI":"10.1016\/j.contraception.2003.11.001","article-title":"Sexual behavior of women taking low-dose oral contraceptive containing 15 microg ethinylestradiol\/60 microg gestodene","volume":"69","author":"Caruso","year":"2004","journal-title":"Contraception"},{"key":"2023030118053252400_","volume-title":"Beyond Birth Control: The Overlooked Benefits of Oral Contraceptive Pills","author":"Jones","year":"2011"},{"issue":"4","key":"2023030118053252400_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1100","DOI":"10.1093\/humrep\/deh686","article-title":"Effects of two types of hormonal contraception\u2014oral versus intravaginal\u2014on the sexual life of women and their partners","volume":"20","author":"Guida","year":"2005","journal-title":"Hum Reprod"},{"issue":"11","key":"2023030118053252400_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2587","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1743-6109.2008.00984.x","article-title":"Female sexual dysfunction, sexual distress, and compatibility with partner","volume":"5","author":"Witting","year":"2008","journal-title":"J Sex Med"},{"issue":"1","key":"2023030118053252400_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"108","DOI":"10.1186\/s12905-018-0602-4","article-title":"Predictors of female sexual dysfunction: a systematic review and qualitative analysis through gender inequality paradigms","volume":"18","author":"McCool-Myers","year":"2018","journal-title":"BMC Womens Health"},{"issue":"8","key":"2023030118053252400_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1011","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jsxm.2017.05.014","article-title":"Patient-centered outcomes and treatment preferences regarding sexual problems: a qualitative study among midlife women","volume":"14","author":"Thomas","year":"2017","journal-title":"J Sex Med"},{"issue":"1","key":"2023030118053252400_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"33","DOI":"10.1080\/00926230152035831","article-title":"Human sex-response cycles","volume":"27","author":"Basson","year":"2001","journal-title":"J Sex Marital Ther"},{"issue":"2","key":"2023030118053252400_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"145","DOI":"10.1007\/s00192-011-1516-y","article-title":"Sexual problems in the gynecology clinic: are we making a mountain out of a molehill?","volume":"23","author":"Roos","year":"2012","journal-title":"Int Urogynecol J"},{"issue":"3","key":"2023030118053252400_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"728","DOI":"10.1111\/jsm.12804","article-title":"Why is impaired sexual function distressing to women? The primacy of pleasure in female sexual dysfunction","volume":"12","author":"Stephenson","year":"2015","journal-title":"J Sex Med"},{"issue":"6","key":"2023030118053252400_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"460","DOI":"10.1007\/s00192-005-1286-5","article-title":"Practice patterns of physician members of the American Urogynecologic Society regarding female sexual dysfunction: results of a national survey","volume":"16","author":"Pauls","year":"2005","journal-title":"Int Urogynecol J"},{"issue":"3","key":"2023030118053252400_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"572","DOI":"10.1016\/S0015-0282(02)04695-2","article-title":"Seeking help for sexual function complaints: what gynecologists need to know about the female patient's experience","volume":"79","author":"Berman","year":"2003","journal-title":"Fertil Steril"},{"issue":"3","key":"2023030118053252400_","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"595","DOI":"10.1111\/jgs.15198","article-title":"Women\u2019s sexual health and aging","volume":"66","author":"Granville","year":"2018","journal-title":"J Am Geriatr Soc"},{"key":"2023030118053252400_","article-title":"Is Reddit a reliable source for information on erectile dysfunction treatment?","author":"Sellke","year":"21, 2022. :\/\/.\/10.1038\/41443-022-00586-0","journal-title":"Int J Impot Res"}],"container-title":["The Journal of Sexual Medicine"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/jsm\/article-pdf\/20\/3\/287\/49344705\/qdac045.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/jsm\/article-pdf\/20\/3\/287\/49344705\/qdac045.pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2023,3,21]],"date-time":"2023-03-21T16:31:18Z","timestamp":1679416278000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/jsm\/article\/20\/3\/287\/6991246"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,19]]},"references-count":35,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,19]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2023,2,27]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/jsxmed\/qdac045","relation":{},"ISSN":["1743-6095","1743-6109"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1743-6095","type":"print"},{"value":"1743-6109","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published-other":{"date-parts":[[2023,3]]},"published":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,19]]}}}