To diagnose HSDD, a doctor may take a medical history, assess symptoms, and take a physical exam. The physical exam may help to rule out any physical causes of HSDD symptoms. A doctor or mental health professional may then perform a range of psychological assessments, such as questionnaires or talking sessions.

Hypoactive sexual desire disorder, also known by the acronym HSDD, is a clinical diagnosis for when a person loses interest in sexual activity for an extended period. Typically, the diagnosis is given after the problem has persisted for more than six months, and a person is frustrated or upset by their lack of interest.

The main symptom of HSDD is a lack of interest in sex. But because everyone is different, there is no official threshold or diagnostic test that tells whether a person has HSDD or not. Rather, diagnosis depends on how distressed a person is about their low sex drive and whether it is causing any other problems.

Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD) is one of two sexual desire disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and is defined by two criteria: A—“persistently or recurrently deficient (or absent) sexual fantasies and desire for sexual activity” and B—“marked distress or interpersonal difficulty.”