How a Traumatic Brain Injury Can Affect Your Sex Drive

The loss of sex drive after a brain injury is a little known side effect but it may be a devastating one for your relationship and it’s a factor any experienced Virginia brain injury attorney will consider in a lawsuit against the party that caused your injury.

A 2013 article in HealthDay estimated that more than 3 million Americans are living with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and many of them suffer from sexual dysfunction, “something that is easily overlooked as patients struggle with overwhelming physical and emotional issues that can last for years.”

A brain injury can dramatically change the way someone experiences and expresses their sexuality. It can cause a whole host of sexual problems including reduced sex drive, difficulties with sexual functioning (such as impotence) and even inappropriate sexual behavior.

You should seek professional advice if you are suffering from this problem. You should also consult a lawyer if the brain injury was caused by the fault of another.

HOW TRAUMATIC INJURY AFFECTS YOUR BRAIN

A TBI can cause dramatic changes in thinking, behavior and the function of the body. The extent of the problems depend on what part of the brain has been injured and the degree of the damage. Generally, the more severe the injury, the more significant the loss of sexual function will be.

CHANGES TO SEXUAL BEHAVIOR AFTER A TBI

• ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION – As many 40 to 60 per cent of men who suffer a brain injury experience either temporary or permanent impotence following their injury.
• REUDUCED LIBIDO – As many as half of all sufferers of a traumatic brain injury experience a reduction in sex drive. Others can experience an increase in libido or no change.
• REDUCED FREQUENCY OF SEX – There are a number of reasons why a TBI may lead to less sex. They can include disability, the break up of a relationship and sexual problems.

A number of areas of the brain are linked to sexual function and arousal. When these areas are damaged, a TBI sufferer may experience difficulty in having sex. They may not feel arousal in the same way as before, although their physical functions may not have been affected.

The sexual problems that are encountered are often not immediately apparent, according to the article in HealthDay. They are more likely to become apparent about six months after an injury and, if left unaddressed, will likely get worse with time, according to Jhon Alexander Moreno, a researcher in neuropsychology at the University of Montreal, who studied TBI and sexual function.

The cause of the injury also has the potential to influence whether a person will struggle with sexual problems, Moreno said. “The psychological stressors that an athlete or a soldier faces are quite different, so a traumatic brain injury with the same severity can lead to different sexual difficulties.”

An experienced Virginia head and brain injury lawyer can help you if you suffer reduced sexual function after a TBI. Call Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers at 757.455.0077 or see CooperHurley.com.