I was a little surprised the article didn't mention declining sperm counts and testosterone as a possible factor.
My impression was that increased exposure to toxic compounds (microplastics, estrogen mimicking compounds, etc) has been contributing to declining sperm counts / motility, and things like earlier onset of puberty in women.
Wouldn't those at least have some effect on sex drive? I'm looking in particular at the decrease in adolescent masturbation, as it's hard for me to imagine that "increased video gaming" is a culprit for this.
Absolutely, testosterone is a major mediator of sex drive in both men and women. And testosterone is absolutely going down in men according to numerous studies.
I have low testosterone from a skiing accident when I was a teenager and I take testosterone weekly. It’s pretty obvious to my wife when I take it - and taking it weekly means I don’t have huge peaks or troughs in my testosterone level.
There’s also a community of women out there that have enlarged their clitorises by rubbing DHT (dihydrotestosterone) on them. Apparently sex is more enjoyable for them once it’s bigger, though it’s not like anybody can study that. I wonder if there’s any good data as far as what clitoris size was 40 years ago vs now, but I doubt it.
My impression was that increased exposure to toxic compounds (microplastics, estrogen mimicking compounds, etc) has been contributing to declining sperm counts / motility, and things like earlier onset of puberty in women.
Wouldn't those at least have some effect on sex drive? I'm looking in particular at the decrease in adolescent masturbation, as it's hard for me to imagine that "increased video gaming" is a culprit for this.