GLP-1 Drugs Reshape Relationships for Millions as 18% Report Higher Sexual Desire
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 26
GLP-1 Drugs Reshape Relationships for Millions as 18% Report Higher Sexual Desire
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 26
Summary
Millions of GLP-1 users are reporting changes that extend beyond weight loss, with doctors and patients describing shifts in intimacy, sexual function and emotional connection.
Early evidence is mixed: a 2025 Kinsey study found 18% reported higher sexual desire and 16% lower, while a 2025 FDA data analysis logged 185 sexual-dysfunction reports, especially among men.
Doctors say the drugs may affect dopamine reward pathways and suppress pleasure-seeking beyond hunger, but rapid weight loss itself can also unsettle couples by changing routines, confidence and expectations.
A 2018 Swedish study of 1,958 bariatric-surgery patients found higher divorce or separation rates among couples, reinforcing clinicians' view that major weight loss often exposes relationship strains rather than causing them outright.
Patients also face stigma around using the drugs in dating and marriage, even as prescriptions have surged almost 10-fold in Australia since 2020 and more than quadrupled in the US.