How Does HGH Impact Sexual Function in Men and Women?
The age-related decline in human growth hormone has a negative impact on sexual function in both men and women.
Human growth hormone (HGH) is one of your body’s most critical hormones. It is responsible for stimulating or regulating all of the processes that allow children to grow and mature into healthy adults. Even once we are fully grown, HGH continued to play a vital role. In adults, HGH is instrumental to:
- Bone and muscle strength
- Fat metabolism and weight regulation
- Mood and cognition
HGH also has many positive effects on sex drive and sexual performance for both men and women.
What Is the Connection Between HGH and Libido?
Human growth hormone (HGH) is proven to increase sex drive and improve sexual performance in both men and women.
As people age, one of the first things they notice is a drop in the sex drive, or libido, and other sexual performance issues — in men, that usually means erectile dysfunction. As women age, they can experience a decreased desire for sex, vaginal dryness, and other sexual health issues. In both genders, these sexual problems can be related to the drop in HGH that occurs as we age.
In men and women with sexual health issues related to HGH loss, growth hormone replacement therapy can help.
HGH and Erectile Dysfunction
Erectile dysfunction, or ED, is defined as “the persistent inability to achieve or maintain an erection that is satisfactory for sexual intercourse.”
Statically speaking, 50% of all men have experienced erectile dysfunction at some time or another. After age 40, nearly 40% have to deal with the condition, and by 70 years old, about 70% of men experience some form of ED, usually accompanied by a loss of libido or sex drive.
In the last few decades, the number of men suffering from ED has been increasing. Scientists attribute this to anything from the greater number of hormones in our food and water supply to the increased stress in the lives of the typical adult male.
The good news is that ED, especially “age-related” ED, can be helped by growth hormone replacement therapy. HGH has been shown to both improve libido and help men with ED. Human growth hormone has been clinically proven to be a safe and effective solution for many men who are suffering from ED. When properly prescribed by your doctor, HGH therapy can be a proven alternative to oral ED medications and other ED treatments in helping many men with ED enjoy their sex lives once again.
There are two major hormones related to erectile function, one is the “male” hormone testosterone, of course, and the other is HGH.
HGH certainly has an impact on sexual function. We cannot definitively say that low levels of HGH “cause” erectile dysfunction. But low HGH can contribute to ED and other sexual health issues in several ways.
Men with age-related growth hormone deficiency (GHD) are also inclined to suffer from other conditions that can cause or also influence ED. For example, men with GHD also tend to have low testosterone, to be obese, have hardening of the arteries, and diabetes — all of which are known to contribute to ED. In addition, men with age-related growth hormone deficiency also tend to feel weak, fatigued, stressed, have poor or disrupted sleep, and can be depressed. Any, or all, of these conditions, can lead to ED and a loss of libido.
There have been clinical studies have shown a relationship between low HGH levels and decreases in libido or sex drive and erectile dysfunction.
Why Is There a Link Between Growth Hormone and Erectile Dysfunction?
It is not entirely understood how HGH can improve erectile function. One theory suggests that raising HGH levels increases nitrous oxide production. Nitrous oxide is instrumental in getting and obtaining an erection. Studies have also found that growth hormone therapy can increase testosterone. Low testosterone is a known contributing factor to ED.
What we do know for sure is that growth hormone plays a vital role in sexual performance in men. As a boy is maturing into a man, HGH is critical for the growth and development of the sex organs. Even once a man is fully grown, HGH continues to play an essential role in your ability to obtain and maintain an erection.
HGH is known to be a precursor to nitric oxide production. Nitric oxide, in turn, is fundamental to erectile function. In fact, oral ED drugs such as Viagra work by increasing the production of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide opens up the blood vessels in the erectile tissue of the penis. When these blood vessels become filled with blood, an erection is the result.
Studies have found that upon sexual excitement, HGH levels also increase in these critical blood vessels. The same studies found that men with ED had as much as seven times less HGH in their erectile tissues when non-erect than in men with normal erectile function. One such study published in 2000 concluded, “[Our] results suggest that penile erection is probably induced by growth hormone through its stimulating activity on human corpus cavernosum smooth muscle.”
Men who received HGH supplementation for other reasons, such as lack of vitality, or loss of muscle, also reported improved libido and increased ability to gain an erection. A specific 2002 study looking at the link between HGH and erectile function, published in the Journal of Urology, concluded, “our results suggest that penile erection [is] induced by growth hormone through its nitric oxide and cyclic guanosine monophosphate stimulating activity on human corpus cavernosum smooth muscle.”
HGH and Female Sexual Dysfunction
The benefits of HGH for sexual health are not only for men. Women, too, suffer from age-related GHD, and it also impacts their sexual health. The vaginal dryness, lack of libido, and painful intercourse that many women suffer during their perimenopause and menopausal years can all be helped by HGH replacement therapy.
Also, as in men, HGH seems to have a positive effect on fertility in women. HGH therapy has been found to improve or induce ovulation in women who have had fertility issues. Studies have found that HGH, along with IGF-1 and IGF-2, works to stimulate the maturation of ovarian follicles into viable eggs.
In addition, in women, HGH helps regulate progesterone and estrogen release from the granulosa cells in the ovaries. It provides antioxidant benefits to the ovaries, as well as improving follicular number and size to aid fertility. Doctors often use HGH in women seeking IVF treatment to enhance the quality and maturation of their oocytes.
How Can HGH Injections Improve Your Sex Life?
To sum it all up, the benefits of HGH for male sexuality are many. HGH therapy has been found to:
- Improve sex drive or libido
- Provide a solution for ED (men)
- Improve lubrication, strengthen vaginal walls (women)
- Boost sexual performance
- Improve fertility in both men and women
In our practice, we have seen that growth hormone therapy — particularly when combined with testosterone therapy — can have a profound impact on improving sexual function. There have been several published and peer-reviewed clinical studies that back up what we see anecdotally in our patients all of the time.
A 2012 study concluded that “[our] data suggested the beneficial effects of growth hormone replacement therapy… has been associated with the improvement of sexual function.”
In addition to the above direct effects of HGH, growth hormone therapy can improve your sex life in a number of other indirect ways. Let’s examine some of the factors related to poor sexual performance. ED or and certain female sexual performance issues are often caused by or at least accompanied by:
- Weakness
- Fatigue
- Depression and anxiety
- Mood swings
- Insomnia
HGH therapy has been shown to help with all of the above. It only stands to reason then that HGH can help anyone who feels their sex-life needs a boost.
Now that you know more about the connections between HGH and a happy and healthy sex life, why not take a minute to contact us and learn more about the many other life-changing benefits of hormone therapy.
National HRT Staff
Please note that the information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment.