Mood Up, Libido Down: Antidepressants & Sexual Dysfunction in Women

One in six women in the United States rely on antidepressants to live a “normal” life (Tierney et al., 2016). Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) constitute some of the most commonly prescribed drugs, and they work to increase serotonin levels in the brain by blocking the reuptake of serotonin, keeping more of it available to improve overall mood (Lee et al., 2010; Quaile, 2025). While more serotonin can stabilize emotions, it can have inhibitory effects on sexual function (Lorenz et al., 2016; Quaile, 2025). Specifically in women, increased serotonin can cause diminished or absent libido, difficulties with arousal (reduced genital sensitivity and lubrication), and delay/trouble reaching orgasm or anorgasmia (Lee et al., 2010). These side effects can impact a woman's quality of life and create severe distress (Lee et al., 2010). This blog explores the ways in which antidepressant prescriptions can negatively impact libido, arousal, and orgasm in women, leading to sexual dissatisfaction.

Libido is the term for someone’s sexual desire, and loss or decline of this is a commonly reported adverse sexual side effect in women taking antidepressants (72% of women in one study; Tierney et al., 2016). Higher serotonin can suppress dopamine, a necessary neurotransmitter for sexual motivation and reward (Michelson et al., 2000; Quaile, 2025). When there are fewer dopamine signals in the brain, there is less desire, contributing to lower libido (Michelson et al., 2000; Quaile, 2025). The effect of diminished interest in sexual activity is something that affects more women than men globally and is highly reported by Americans. An analysis of low sexual desire from antidepressants across various European countries revealed that up to 34% of women compared to 15% of men reported post-SSRI low sexual desire (Kennedy & Rizvi, 2009). However, changes in sexual interest may be more subjectively experienced and context dependent, making it more difficult to specifically attribute to medicine (Michelson et al., 2000).

Another commonly reported adverse sexual effect in women taking antidepressants is problems with sexual arousal, operationally defined as vaginal lubrication for individuals with vulvas (83%; Tierney et al., 2016). Elevated serotonin can inhibit nitric oxide synthase – a family of enzymes - which decreases blood flow to the genitals, making genital arousal feel blunted (Lee et al., 2010; Quaile, 2025). Vaginal arousal is also facilitated by activity in the sympathetic nervous system and harmony between it and the parasympathetic nervous system is necessary for vaginal lubrication (Tierney et al., 2016). SSRIs interfere with the natural balance between the two systems which may explain why women taking SSRIs report more dysfunction in sexual arousal than men (Tierney et al., 2016). Psychological arousal could also potentially be dissociated from physiologic arousal, meaning that even if women experience sexual desire/interest or are mentally aroused, they may not have sufficient vaginal lubrication to have enjoyable sexual intercourse (Michelson et al., 2000).

Lastly, many women on antidepressant medications experience extreme difficulty achieving orgasms or anorgasmia (the inability to achieve an orgasm; Jani & Wise, 1988). SSRIs can halt the brain’s reward response and delay or completely block orgasmic ability (Kennedy & Rizvi, 2009; Lee et al., 2010; Quaile, 2025). Studies show that a high frequency of women (anywhere from 30% to 70%) prescribed serotonergic antidepressants report orgasm difficulties since starting the medication (Quaile, 2025). Since pressure is often placed on making orgasms the final goal of sexual activity (Janssen et al., 2025), many women with this side effect are left feeling sexually unsatisfied (Janssen et al., 2025).

In conclusion, with the decrease of mental health stigma and the increase of pharmacological treatments being prescribed (Angermeyer et al., 2013), the issue of antidepressants potentially causing sexual problems needs more awareness and a deeper understanding. It is crucial that women around the world can receive treatment for anxiety and depression without sacrificing their pleasure or sexual wellbeing. People should be able to have both medicinal assistance and sexual satisfaction, without being forced to choose one.

Katrina Caeiro (she/her), Psychology and Sociology Joint Honors, 4th year, Queens University.

References

Angermeyer, M. C., Matschinger, H., & Schomerus, G. (2013). Attitudes towards psychiatric treatment and people with mental illness: changes over two decades. British Journal of Psychiatry, 203(2), 146–151. doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.112.122978

Jani, N. N., & Wise, T. N. (1988). Antidepressants and inhibited female orgasm: A literature review. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 14(4), 279–284. https://doi.org/10.1080/00926238808403810

Janssen, A. K., Csako, R. I., Rowland, D. L., & Hevesi, K. (2025). The Satisfaction of Women's Orgasms: The Relationship Between Women's Orgasmic Pleasure and Sexual Relationship Satisfaction in Aotearoa/New Zealand. International journal of sexual health: official journal of the World Association for Sexual Health, 37(2), 251–262. https://doi.org/10.1080/19317611.2025.2464535

Kennedy, S. H., & Rizvi, S. (2009, April). Sexual Dysfunction, Depression, and the Impact of Antidepressants. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 29(2): p57-164. https://doi.org/10.1097/JCP.0b013e31819c76e9  

Lee, K. U., Lee, Y. M., Nam, J. M., Lee, H. K., Kweon, Y. S., Lee, C. T., & Jun, T. Y. (2010). Antidepressant-Induced Sexual Dysfunction among Newer Antidepressants in a Naturalistic Setting. Psychiatry investigation, 7(1), 55–59. https://doi.org/10.4306/pi.2010.7.1.55

Lorenz, T., Rullo, J., & Faubion, S. (2016, September). Antidepressant-induced female sexual dysfunction - mayo clinic proceedings. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(16)30302-0/fulltext

Michelson, D., Bancroft, J., Targum, S., Yongman, K., & Tepner, R. (2000). Female Sexual Dysfunction Associated With Antidepressant Administration: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study of Pharmacological Intervention. Am J Psychiatry. 157: p239-243. https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/pdf/10.1176/appi.ajp.157.2.239

Quaile, H. (Ed.). (2025, August 19). A guide to the sexual side effects of ssris: Vella. Vella Bioscience. https://vellabio.com/blogs/vella-voice/sexual-side-effects-of-ssris

Unseen and Unprotected: Unaccompanied Minors in U.S. Custody – Abuse, Exploitation, and the Hidden Reality of Pregnant Migrant Youth

Children do not leave home without a reason. They do not cross borders alone unless staying has become more dangerous than the journey ahead. Every child who arrives alone at a border carries a history of rupture – of violence, deprivation, abuse, persecution, or loss – that made departure a necessity rather than a choice. These children are referred to as unaccompanied minors: individuals under the age of eighteen who arrive in a country without a parent or legal guardian, or who are separated from their families during migration or through immigration enforcement (Corona Maioli et al., 2021; United Nations, 2005). Yet behind this administrative label are children who have left behind not only homes and families, but languages, communities, routines, and the only sense of belonging they have ever known – all in pursuit of safety, survival, and the possibility of a future.

Once in the United States, unaccompanied minors are placed in shelters overseen by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). These facilities are officially intended to provide temporary care until children can be reunited with family, released to sponsors, or age out of the system at eighteen. But institutions created to protect vulnerable children can also reproduce the very harms they are meant to prevent. This contradiction is perhaps nowhere more striking than in the treatment of pregnant girls in ORR custody (Nawaz & Betancourt, 2026).

Unaccompanied minors who are pregnant and under the responsibility of the ORR are girls between the ages of 13 and 17. In about half of the cases, the pregnancy results from rape in their home country or during the migration journey (Nawaz & Betancourt, 2026). Because of their young age, these pregnancies are inherently high-risk, as their bodies are still developing (Cagli et al., 2025). These girls should therefore be cared for in facilities with appropriate medical staff and equipment capable of providing adequate support – whether to continue the pregnancy, or to safely terminate it if they choose (Betancourt, 2026).

As of July 22, 2025, the ORR’s acting director instructed agency staff to transfer “any pregnant children” in federal custody to a single group shelter in San Benito, South Texas – a state where abortion is effectively banned. The practical consequence of this policy is clear: pregnant girls in ORR custody may be compelled to carry pregnancies to term regardless of medical risk, personal circumstance, or the circumstances of conception, including sexual violence. For many, this means enduring pregnancy and childbirth while already living through trauma, profound economic precarity, and social isolation. Although framed as administrative policy, the effect is unmistakably coercive (Amiri & Ehrlich, 2026; Betancourt, 2026; Schreiber, 2026).

This situation is not unprecedented. During the current administration’s previous term, similar efforts were made to restrict abortion access for pregnant minors in federal custody. Nor would it be the first instance in which migrant women’s reproductive autonomy has been subjected to political ideology: reports in 2020 documented allegations of hysterectomies performed on migrant women without meaningful consent while in immigration detention (Ghandakly & Fabi, 2021; Lombardi, 2020; Olivared & Washington, 2020).

What is taking place constitutes a profound violation of fundamental human rights, children’s rights, and reproductive rights. If non-consensual hysterectomies deprived migrant women of the possibility of reproducing, forcing underage girls to carry pregnancies to term demonstrates another exercise of power: using state control to regulate the reproduction of an extraordinarily vulnerable population – children who are migrants, traumatized, pregnant, and alone. All of this in service of an anti-abortion political agenda imposed at the expense of bodily autonomy, dignity, and health. We wonder whether the world would respond with the same silence if these girls were not migrants.

These girls should not be left alone.

At the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, Texas, the situation has raised serious concerns regarding the treatment and safety of vulnerable migrants held within the facility. Between September and February, 11 cases of children suffering from severe respiratory difficulties and high fever were reported. Unlike the San Benito Immigration Processing Center, which primarily accommodates unaccompanied minors, Dilley also holds families, including very young children, exposing them to highly distressing conditions. This is evident in the case of Juan Nicolás, a two-month-old infant whose health rapidly deteriorated after his mother repeatedly raised concerns about his symptoms. When he was finally taken to the hospital, his condition was so severe that he required immediate helicopter transportation. However, due to unfavorable weather conditions, the transfer could not take place. Shortly afterward, Juan Nicolás and his mother were deported to Mexico (Hixenbaugh, 2026).

At Fort Bliss, in Texas, the largest immigration detention center in the U.S., reports have documented deeply troubling allegations of violence, abusive sexual contact, and neglect, including incidents involving unaccompanied minors. “Samuel,” a detained teenager, was beaten so severely by officers at Fort Bliss that he suffered injuries throughout his body, lost consciousness, and required emergency medical treatment. Despite being hospitalized as a result of the incident, Samuel later received a medical bill for the emergency care he needed. He continues to suffer from serious health consequences, including severe hearing difficulties in one ear and persistent testicular pain. Another detainee, “Edoardo,” reported being humiliated and physically assaulted after requesting access to his prescribed medication (Gassama, 2026).

These accounts also reveal broader concerns about the conditions inside Fort Bliss. Detainees have described being deprived of adequate nutrition, with reports of spoiled or inedible food contributing to hunger, illness, and significant weight loss. The facility has also faced criticism for failures in providing essential medical and mental health care, as well as basic necessities such as hygiene products, clean clothing, and appropriate living conditions. Many immigrants have reportedly been held for prolonged periods in overcrowded and freezing spaces, sometimes without sufficient food, natural light, or access to outdoor areas. In addition, restrictions on access to legal assistance have further increased the isolation and vulnerability of those detained (Figueroa, 2025; Gassama, 2026).

Creating awareness is not merely an initial step, but a fundamental prerequisite for protecting these children. This issue must be brought decisively into the public sphere on a global scale – through the work of independent journalists, the authority of established media, and the pervasive reach of social platforms, which today shape how younger generations access and interpret information. As long as such realities remain unseen, meaningful change will remain out of reach.

Education systems, from primary schools to universities, carry an equally critical responsibility. They must engage with these issues across multiple dimensions – political, social, economic, and health-related – fostering not only knowledge but critical awareness. Educating younger generations is therefore not simply about understanding the present; it is about actively shaping a future in which the injustices we now recognize in history are neither forgotten nor repeated.

Sarah Sinigaglia (she/her), MSc
Sexual Health Research Lab, Queen’s University
Padova Sex Lab, University of Padua

References

Amiri, B., & Ehrlich, S. (2026). Trump Considers Blocking Abortion Access for Unaccompanied Immigrant Minors in Federal Custody (Again). Ms. Magazine. https://msmagazine.com/2026/04/04/trump-abortion-unaccompanied-minors-immigration-pregnant-girls-women/

Betancourt, M. (2026). Trump admin sends pregnant unaccompanied minors to Texas shelter flagged as medically inadequate. The California Report. https://www.kqed.org/news/12072843/texas-trump-immigration-pregnant-migrants-shelter

Cagli, F., Gürler, A. D., Dolanbay, M., Gülseren, V., & Cündübey, C. R. (2025). Maternal and perinatal outcomes in adolescent pregnancies: A retrospective study. Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare, 45, 101134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.srhc.2025.101134

Corona Maioli, S., Bhabha, J., Wickramage, K., Wood, L. C. N., Erragne, L., Ortega García, O., Burgess, R., Digidiki, V., Aldridge, R. W., & Devakumar, D. (2021). International migration of unaccompanied minors: Trends, health risks, and legal protection. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 5(12), 882–895. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(21)00194-2

Figueroa, L. (2025). Officers at Texas immigration detention facility accused of beatings and sexual abuse. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/09/texas-ice-camp-abuse-immigration

Gassama, H. (2026). Detained Immigrants Detail Physical Abuse and Inhumane Conditions at Largest Immigration Detention Center in the U.S. ACLU. https://www.aclu.org/news/immigrants-rights/detained-immigrants-detail-physical-abuse-and-inhumane-conditions-at-largest-immigration-detention-center-in-the-u-s

Ghandakly, E. C., & Fabi, R. (2021). Sterilization in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE’s) Detention: Ethical Failures and Systemic Injustice. American Journal of Public Health, 111(5), 832–834. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306186

Hixenbaugh, M. (2026). 911 calls capture kids burning with fever, struggling to breathe at ICE detention center. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/911-calls-kids-struggling-breathe-ice-detention-texas-immigration-rcna260595

Lombardi, A. (2020). Usa, il centro migranti degli orrori: “isterectomie forzate alle donne.” https://www.repubblica.it/esteri/2020/09/15/news/usa_il_centro_migranti_degli_orrori_isterectomie_forzate_alle_donne_-267414224/

Nawaz, A., & Betancourt, M. (2026, March 13). Pregnant migrant girls held at Texas center criticized for inadequate care [PBS News]. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/pregnant-migrant-girls-held-at-texas-center-criticized-for-inadequate-care

Olivared, J., & Washington, J. (2020). "He Just Empties You All Out”: Whistleblower Reports High Number of Hysterectomies at ICE Detention Facility. The Intercept. https://theintercept.com/2020/09/15/hysterectomies-ice-irwin-whistleblower/

Schreiber, M. (2026). US moving pregnant immigrant girls to Texas to avoid providing abortions, critics say. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/01/pregnant-immigrant-children-texas-abortion

United Nations. (2005). Committee on the Rights of the Child, Thirty-ninth session, 17 May-3 June 2005. Refugee Survey Quarterly, 27(4), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1093/rsq/hdp021