Women who live with their partner are more than twice as likely to lose sexual interest compared to men. This is one of the conclusions of the study carried out by scientists from the Sexual Health Research Center of the University of Southampton (United Kingdom) and collected by the BMJ Journal.
Experts examined data from the third National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Styles, the largest scientific research on sexual lifestyle in the United States, to see how lack of interest in sex varied by gender and what psychological factors were associated with it. with this phenomenon.
The team examined the responses of 4,839 men and 6,669 women between the ages of 16 and 74 who had lived with their partner (same or opposite sex) for at least one year.
More than 34% of women reported a lack of interest in sex , compared to 15% of men. Furthermore, more than 60% of the women interviewed and more than 50% of the men reported feeling distressed by their decreased sexual desire.
Some of the factors associated with low sexual interest for both men and women were having had a sexually transmitted infection in the past year, having experienced non-consensual sex, feeling mentally and physically ill, and not feeling emotionally close to your partner. partner during sexual intercourse.
Graham and her colleagues also discovered a number of factors that were associated with a lack of sexual interest exclusively in women . They found that women who had had three or more partners in the past year were less likely to lack sexual interest than women with only one partner.
Having been pregnant in the past year and having at least one young child was also associated with low sexual interest in women, but not in men.
The partner’s lack of “sexual competence” was also strongly associated with women’s declining interest in sex.
Talking might help
Interestingly, both men and women who found it easy to have a sexual conversation with their partner were less likely to have low sexual desire.
“Our findings show us the importance of the relational context in understanding low sexual interest in both men and women. For women, in particular, the quality and duration of the relationship and communication with their partners are important in their experience. sexual interest, “adds Cynthia Graham, leader of the work.
Strengths and limitations of the study
The researchers write that the study’s strengths include having used nationally representative data to assess sexual interest in men and women. But they also point out that the information on sexual interest was limited and the study could not establish causality between the lack of sexual interest and the variables studied.
“The study highlights the need to assess and, if necessary, address issues of sexual interest in a holistic and relational, as well as gender, way,” concludes Graham.
Referencia: Graham CA, Mercer CH, Tanton C, et al What factors are associated with reporting lacking interest in sex and how do these vary by gender? Findings from the third British national survey of sexual attitudes and lifestyles BMJ Open 2017;7:e016942. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-016942
