Sex advice with Suzi Godson: My libido has plummeted due to illness

Q. I HAVE been with my boyfriend for two years (we are both 32). In the past few months, my libido has plummeted. I’ve recently been quite unwell with various food intolerances, which I thought could be the reason, but I’m now better and my libido hasn’t recovered. What can I do?

Research into the sexual side-effects of food intolerances is relatively limited, but there is no doubt that illness, discomfort or pain, and the associated psychological stress, negatively affects libido.

What is tricky is to separate out whether your libido has been affected directly because of your illness or due to other factors linked to it.