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Men/Women, Is sex a requirement for an enjoyable romantic relationship?

I have a friend that I grew up with who's been married for more than 30 years to her husband. She's mentioned that sex in there marriage is "a lot" if it's once a month. Which is to say sex is not a common activity in their marriage. They seem committed to one another and seem to love each other. They are very religious Christianish type folks. I must say however, that in family pics posted on facebook her husband, a late-fifties gray-haired Caucasian man in a suit, appears to have a barely noticeable half-sided "smile" with a what appears to always be a slightly dissatified countenance. He reminds me of a man secretly addicted to porn while being a church minister type. I wonder if a virtually sexless marriage with a person you love is common or acceptable to men or women. I find this topic interesting because I believe that the expression of love is most profoundly comminicated sexually. That is not too suggest that I don't realize there are an infinite number of ways to express romantic love however. What do you think about sexless marriages or sexless romantic relationships? Are they feasably potentially satisfying and healthy?

LilAtheistLady 7 July 8
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78 comments

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12

Sex should never be a requirement. In some situations it might not even be possible. Needs, desires, and ability should be understood by both parties.

Wow, this answer impresses me.

11

Haha! I call that Swaggartism. Although, as long as Jimmy kept her in diamonds, Mrs. Swaggart did not sweat the porn or the hookers.

10

No. It depends on the person.

I'm sick of our culture's obsession with sex.

9

I can't imagine a romantic relationship without sex.

9
  1. you can not judge a person's sexual apetite and satisfaction by a photo picture. That's incredible assumption.

  2. SOME people DON'T LIKE SEX.

  3. Sex is not required for a health happy relationship

9

I never judge anyone’s sex drive. If they have no sex or sex 3x daily, it’s not a problem unless they consider it a problem. Desire discrepancy is a problem, but even that can be overcome with compromise and motivation. Some couples aren’t motivated to find solutions, so one partner has sex they don’t want to have or the other goes unhappily without.

UUNJ Level 8 July 8, 2018
8

My partner and I have a very beautiful committed relationship that hasnt been sexual consensually now,for over 25 years we have a lot of love for each other look out for each other laugh a lot and don't live together though I do all the cooking and most of our cleaning and he does all our finances etc. its a good division of labour and we do laugh a lot though we don't spend huge amounts of time together. Both of us were in abusive families and how we get on is partly to do with that - He is a gentle person thoughtful and kind and i ma the funny fall guy one. We pick each other up when we get depressed it works.

jacpod Level 8 July 11, 2018
8

My husband's quadruple bypass ended intercourse for us 13 years before he died. It did not end intimacy or our love for each other. I think it would be very hard to create that love without sex during the beginning of a relationship.

8

no sex = no real relationship

I disagree. Sex is part of the equation, a very important part, indeed, but not the whole of it. If a relationship cannot survive without sex, then what will happen when we are both 80 years old, or, even sadder, when one member of the couple can no longer have sex, due to an illness or an accident? "Real" relationships, and real love can and will survive without sex.

7

It depends if both partners are satisfied being sexless. It didn’t work for me. Not only did I want sex and not get it, I received no physical affection (hand holding, hugs, etc).

@sliver101 I might have stuck it out longer had I gotten at least some form of touch. But, I got no physical affection, no emotional support, and he wasn’t a good provider financially. Should have left 5 years early but hindsight is 20/20

7

There is no Yes or No answer to this. Every couple is different and the only thing that matters is compatibility. The trouble would arise if they were way out of sync with each other in sex drive. Personally, I was never interested in how often other couples had sex, I couldn’t say what too little would be, but you are drawing a lot of conclusions from scant information about the couple you refer to. I know of couples who never have sex due to erectile dysfunction or other problems such as injury, and still manage to have a loving relationship. I have always believed it is essential to really like your partner because over time the initial passion will lessen and then something more like deep affection will take it’s place.

Yes. Thank you for your thoughtful comment.

@LilAtheistLady You are welcome.

7

For some people, no. Sex is not required for a healthy romantic relationship. I have a few friends that classify themselves as asexual. And I’ve got some friends that for some reason, have no function down there. Due to paralysis or things like that.

But I enjoy sex. But then again, I’ve been single for 2 years now. But even when I was in my last relationship, sex wasn’t super important. It was fun but we only did it about once a month.

As with all things in life, when it comes to human beings, there is no definitive yes or no. It depends on the person.

6

I believe varying forms of intimacy, over and above sex, is a requirement for a romantic relationship. But I also believe that with intimacy sexual desire often blooms.

6

I thought I was asexual for a long time. Turns out I was just tired of my husband. Dissatisfaction turned to loss of sexual interest which resulted in more dissatisfaction. So, while there are people who are genuinely asexual, I would assume most are not and if sex is falling off in a romantic relationship, it's probably an indication that there is an underlying problem and the lack of sex is a symptom...

6

I think sex is healthy in a relationship and it's usually the women, sometimes the men, who do not want sex. I bet you anything he's got a piece on the side.

@Alvinsmama I said I BET he does not that he did. Save your offense for something that is actually offensive.

Interesting. I I wonder if there studies on the matter. Im thinking there must be. Human sexuality is actually scientifically studied. I think the temperature in some of these responses are truly interesting.

@Alvinsmama do you really use the term "afront" on a regular basis? @Helionoftroy thank you for being so frank and honest about your thoughts.

@LetzGetReal You may leave this discussion at any time. I appreciate your point of view however. You're entitled to it.

5

This question is best answered by couples in this very situation.

5

Everyone had different drives and interests. If she has always been hyper religious then she probably never got to explore or developed her sexuality outside of contact with her husband. Or through guilt laden experiences before marriage. At 30yrs of marriage she has probably been through menopause and now has even less interest.
For me itsa a deal breaker. Ar least to start a relationship. My wife has some pretty serious chronic illnesses but is still very interested in sex. We don't do it as often as we would like simply because the activity often makes her symptoms worse. But she is always ready to play

I know the feeling. I went several years without sex due to my fiancée’s declining health.

5

I can see religion, physical or mental issues being a reason for a sexless marriage. Outside of that, a sexless marriage would suck! Or lack of sucking, I should say! LOL

5

I think each individual has inherent sexual energy. Some want it all the time, others virtually asexual and just aren't interested in it. Then the vast majority are somewhere in between on a spectrum. One can only hope to be lucky enough to find a partner with similar appetite for sex.

5

Sex or at least intimacy is really important to me. If we are not making out or sleeping nude or barely clothed every night what's the point.

5

Sounds like you want to help your friend, IF she is unhappy in her marriage. Every marriage (and relationship, for that matter) is a different combination of various components. Priorities of those components might or might not be agreeable to both parties in equal measures. Those are factors in deciding whether to stay together, work on issues, create work arounds, that might not be anyone’s business, or give it all up for door number 3.

While you might feel sorry for your friend, remember the quantity of sexual activity does not necessarily equal quality.

There may be psychological factors that could be helped with counseling, but sometimes there is just a lack of physical and emotional attraction. So the decision to stay together, despite a lack of sexual satisfaction, is a thoughtful decision. Your friend might complain to you, to vent her frustration, but she may not really want to do anything about it, except vent. Or perhaps she is seeking advice from you?

I was married a long long time. My ex-husband was not affectionate, not particularly physically attractive to me, and simply could not win or keep my admiration after the many demeaning things he would say and do. He was abusive as well. So it was simply impossible for me to want to have sexual relations with him. We slept apart, for 20+ years of our marriage. Duty sex, when demanded, was obviously not satisfying for me. Couldn’t wait to get out of the marriage, but thought it best to stay together for the kids.

After freeing myself from my bad marriage, I became the sexual being I always was inside and had an intimate partner for several years who helped me discover the joys of sex. Saddest part of this discovery is lamenting about all the years I missed out on such wonderful sex, had I left my marriage sooner.

I don’t think a satisfying sex life is mandatory for a marriage or a relationship, but it definitely is a bonding gesture that enhances a relationship greatly and can sometimes be the one thing that keeps a couple together during other dissatisfactions. The success of a relationship can not be based on sexual compatibility alone. There must be other factors that keep her invested in the marriage.

I usually just keep my mouth shut and help by listening and not telling her what to do. She's been married for as many decades as I've been divorced. So I accept the fact that I am no expert on what it takes to have a successful and happy one. That being said, I really like your clear-minded, frank, and intelligent comment especially because you are a woman who has the guts to stand up and say it the way you see it. And I respect the way you said it. Thanks for being one among a handful of thoughtful and intelligent responses to the question. 🙂

5

No, not at all. I am an affectionate man and I enjoy just snuggling and cuddling. No sex involved or necessary.

5

I personally think it is pretty impossible, unless both partners have the same level of non-existant labido. There is always going to be resentment no matter how understanding the other partner may be, being constantly turned down, or constantly bothered for sex wears a person down until they snap....

5

I think sex is fundamental to any romantic relationship. If it’s not present, the relationship is very likely an accommodation for for mutual benefit.

5

Depends on the person. I couldn't survive in a sexless relationship.

I tried to for many many years and was extremely unhappy. I might have been able to stick it out longer but there was no physical affection at al. No hugs or hand holding. I’m a very touchy feely person and just couldn’t be in a marriage like that any longer.

@Marcie1974 very sad. Aside from sexual interaction, a healthy human needs healthy touch to remain healthy. I get the best hugs from friends and family.

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