Female sexual desire results from a complex network of psycho-sexual and physical regulating factors. While estrogens play an important role with regard to physical preconditions for female sexual desire, their relevance with regard to specific sexual parameters is less clear. Only in individual cases a reduction of serum testosterone levels is the reason for a loss of sexual desire. Consequently, testosterone therapy is indicated in relatively few adequately selected cases. As different gestagenes present different partial effects in the context of sexual desire, oral contraceptives have to be selected carefully. Although knowledge on central mechanisms in the regulation of female sexual desire is currently only in its dawn, actual research results support that prolactin is a key factor in this regulation. However, hormonal influences only represent one of several factors influencing female sexual desire.