A woman has revealed that a debilitating brain condition took her sex life away – and left her boyfriend thinking she hated him.
Leanne Jones, 42, used to love spending hours in the bedroom with partner Adam, 40.
But the former legal secretary quickly found herself struggling to get aroused and when they did have sex, she wasn’t able to climax as usual.
Leanne, who couldn’t understand why she was no longer “horny” was shocked when doctors said it was because of a “debilitating” brain condition; which has stripped her entire life away.
“I went from being very highly sex driven to feeling like Grandpa Joe from Willy Wonka,” the mum-of-two, from South Wales, told Need To Know.
“My partner took it personally at first, as many would, and thought I didn’t love him anymore.
“I was left heartbroken.
“No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get back my once horny self.”
Leanne had also been experiencing numbness in her right knee during her running and personal training sessions.
At times, it would give way completely.
She had been dealing with “crippling” fatigue, where she was unable to move off the sofa and partial hearing loss.
Knowing something wasn’t quite right, she visited her doctors and was booked in for an MRI scan.
She was diagnosed with two conditions; multiple sclerosis, which affects the brain and spinal cord, in March 2020.
And functional neurological disorder, which impacts how the brain receives and sends information to the rest of the body, in 2024.
Currently, there is no cure.
To find others suffering like her, the mum turned to TikTok, where people flooded the comments about their own experiences with the diseases and changes in their sex life.
Leanne said: “I’ve heard from so many sufferers that have told me their partners have left them over it as they didn’t realise MS could cause this.
“They simply assumed their partner didn’t find them sexually attractive anymore.
“Because of the nerve damage to the brain and spine, the signals needed for arousal, sensation and orgasm are no longer there.
“It creates a disconnect.
“For us women, there’s issues with low sex drive, lack of sensation and lubrication and pain.
“There’s been many times my partner could’ve walked away, but he says we are a team.
“He knows the severe change because of my MS and the full extent of life with it.
“I spoke with a MS neurologist in front of him about the issues we were having in the bedroom and he understood that it’s not him, it’s my brain.
“It’s mind over matter.
“Now, we have sex a few times a week – but he knows when not to try his luck.”
Leanne, who was “forced” to take early retirement due to her diagnosis, now volunteers at her local hospital.
She was having weekly injections to help manage her symptoms, as well taking disease-modifying medication.
Now, though, she has decided to go completely medication free in a bid to combat the conditions naturally.
The mum also gives those suffering a voice about how it impacts people’s dating lives through her TikTok.
She added: “I had a number of male sufferers message to thank me for discussing it as a few of them had lost partners over it.
“They find it hard to talk about due to pride or shame.
“This is why it’s so important to raise awareness.
“It’s such a debilitating and lonely life.
“I don’t think people understand the impact on your mental, emotional and physical health when being told you can’t work anymore.
“Losing the role of being the breadwinner for my family was very hard to come to terms with.
“And of course, when it impacts your enjoyment in the bedroom and intimacy with your partner.
“I’ve gone from walking three miles every day to work and running 5k, to almost being bedridden.
“Day-to-day, I have problems with my speech, absent type seizures, extreme fatigue, declining cognitive, restless legs, as well as issues with mobility and vision.
“I want people to know that even though it feels like a prison sentence, it’s not.
“You’ve got to work with it, not against it, as there’s so much to live for.”
