If you’ve spent any amount of time in the world of wellness, you’ve no doubt heard plenty of talk about microbiomes—the part of your gut that serves as home to the majority of your body’s bacterial colonies.
Research has already shown that the balance of bacteria in your microbiome affects all areas of your health: physical, emotional, and mental.
But there’s a part of your health that’s also affected by your microbiome that you might not have considered.
Your sexual health.
If you’re less than happy with your sex life, the bacteria in your gut might be to blame.
How Your Microbiome Affects Men’s Sexual Health
The first step to understanding this surprising connection is to know that there are two types of bacteria that live in your gut.
- Beneficial or good bacteria
- Pathogenic or bad bacteria
With a limited amount of room in your gut, when one colony flourishes, it crowds out the other.
Ideally, your beneficial bacteria is thriving, to the detriment of the colonies of pathogenic bacteria.
Unfortunately, it’s usually the opposite.
The bad bacterial colonies flourish, leaving little to no room for the good bacteria to survive.
This condition, known as dysbiosis, is incredibly common.
And it could be disrupting your sex life. Here’s how…
Your Gut Health And Your Performance
Poor gut health is associated with a ton of digestive issues.
- Bloating
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Gas
- Irritable Bowel Symptom (IBS)
None of those quite scream “romance,” do they?
The physical side effects are challenging enough on their own when you’re trying to be intimate. But the emotional side effects can take their toll on your sexual performance, too.
When you’re experiencing digestive issues, it’s hard to concentrate on sex. Instead, these are some of the scenarios that might be racing through your mind.
- Fearing an IBS episode during a sexual encounter
- Embarrassment at having to use the bathroom after a sleepover with your partner
- Trying to connect emotionally while ignoring or hiding often painful stomach issues
Even more than having digestive issues, the anxiety you feel around your GI issues can make it difficult for you to forget your worries and relax long enough to get aroused.
In fact, the anxiety associated with GI issues can be so bad that studies have shown that men with IBS are more than twice as likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction. [1]