Stress wrecks sexual relationships

27 October, 2007

Sex, which is widely considered to relieve stress, can itself be messed up by stress leading to strained relationships.

A study conducted by researchers in the United Kingdom has revealed that that the stress of everyday life – such as difficulties at work, financial worries, and tiredness – is adversely affecting the sexual relationship of couples.

The team of relationship experts studied 2,037 people and found that 50% of the participants reported that stress and other medical issues had negatively affected their sex lives.

The Daily Mail newspaper of Britain quoted Denise Knowles, the lead researcher, as saying, “This research really emphasizes the extent to which sexual problems, including stress, take on a bigger significance within the relationship. I have worked with many couples who are so embarrassed about intimate health complaints that it has caused a huge breakdown in communication and put serious pressure on the relationship.”

“Talking to a partner or a professional candidly about the issue is not easy, but it may save a great deal of emotional strain,” Denise Knowles added.

Dr Annie Evans, a women’s health specialist at Nuffield Hospital in Bristol, England, observed: “Sometimes it is easiest to ignore sexually related health problems than to address them. By ignoring physical symptoms, both men and women put themselves at risk of the problems becoming more serious and less easy to put right.”

The researchers reached their conclusion after surveying a group of people in the United Kingdom.

According to their findings, half of those surveyed admitted that stress or medical issues had affected their sex lives, with loss of libido or discomfort
being the biggest problems. Three in five people admitted, however, to struggling to talk about personal difficulties.

The women who were found to be most vulnerable to sexual health problems were those aged over 55. Seven out of ten in this category said their age had left them suspecting that their partner found them unattractive.

Less than half of the respondents said they regularly discussed their sex lives.

The survey of 2,037 people aged over 16 was carried out by the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk UK in collaboration with Relate, a leading non-governmental organization.