Everybody has been through a dry spell in their lives, or is probably going through one right now.
They’re almost a rite of passage to be honest, but they can have some much more serious consequences than you might think.
At least for women, according to FEMAIL, who spoke to general practitioner Dr Ginni Mansberg about the effects of not having sex.
Speaking about why women might stop having sex, the doctor said:
I think sometimes people stop having sex because it’s uncomfortable and they might not even remember what set it off in the first place.
There might have been a period of vaginal dryness, there could have been a problem in the relationship… there could be some vagina trauma or some dermatitis of the vulva, which is very common.
The good doctor explained that libido in women is complex and multifaceted, which can make researching it difficult.
She said:
It’s not just a physical thing like it is for men, it’s not like that for women, we are complex beasts.
This is an area that has been poorly researched, it can be difficult to design a study around this because, like the chicken and the egg, why do people stop having sex in the first place.
Is it because they had a sudden termination in their relationship and feel too grieved to get back on the horse or was there a problem with the vagina that made them stop having sex?
She said that women in long-term relationships are less likely to have high sex drives, because they find it more difficult to feel passion for someone who they have grown comfortable with.
One of the major things which can happen as a result of a lack of sex is ‘loss of lubrication’, alongside a shrinking of the vagina.
Dr Mansberg said:
This is because the oestrogen is partly involved in lubricating and expanding the vagina.
The cells that make the lubricant are turbo charged by oestrogen and they line the vagina, it’s called mucus membrane, which is a mucus lining.
You want that because it’s an efficient cleaning system for the vagina and women that have had a dry vagina say it can make sex uncomfortable and predispose you to urine infections as well.
However, store bought lubricant isn’t always the way to go about alleviating this, and you might have to go to the doctor to help with the ailment.
Also a result of a lack of sex is a thinning of the vaginal walls, according to Dr Mansberg.
She said:
Pelvic floor exercises or orgasms will make the muscles contract, and muscles that aren’t used do get thinner, but they can recover.
That’s not really a big issue but you might not have as an intense orgasm the first time, but it can come back…
I don’t think people need to masturbate regularly and give themselves a regular orgasm if that’s not something they particularly want to have.
While this might well not be the most serious of side effects of celibacy, one which might cause greater problems is a higher level of stress.
There have been a few studies about sex as a stress reliever, and Dr Mansberg thinks these are probably correct.
She said:
I feel that women who are having sex are generally in healthier relationships. Although this isn’t the case for everyone, generally speaking if you’re having sex statistically you’re more likely to be in a reasonable relationship.
It’s hard to be really 100 per cent sure on this. It might not necessarily be the sex that’s busting your stress, but the fact that you’re in a healthy relationship where you have access to sex and are happy to have it and you’re not fighting all the time.
But what is certain for Dr Mansberg is that we need to change what the definition of what a healthy amount of sex is.
She said:
In reality, sex is often an act you do when the kids have finally gotten to sleep or at night when you’re tired and you don’t want a one hour marathon sex session.
That doesn’t mean that you have a problem with your libido, it just means you’re human and you’re working and sex has to be worked at like every part of your relationship but that doesn’t mean it’s not good.
If you have a story you want to tell send it to UNILAD via stories@unilad.co.uk
