The beginning of the year is not easy after a long and festive vacation like the one I enjoyed; it has been a real challenge to get back to “normality”. What it is true is that I needed to start at some point, even if I was sleepy, but with a lot of enthusiasm to write.
By the way, this year I will write 49 columns, to be more precise. So, while I was planning, I found a topic that fits this new beginning: How many sexual encounters do you have in a year?
Sex remains one of the favorite activities of most human beings. When sexual life begins, the body produces a high number of hormones that incite us to have sex more frequently. However, the fun doesn’t last forever and factors such as time and age can vary the frequency of sexual encounters.
In a study conducted by the Kinsey Institute for Research on Sex, Reproduction and Gender, in Bloomington, Indiana, USA, couples of different ages were analyzed to learn about the characteristics of sexual encounters at each stage of life.
The researchers found that there is a relationship between the frequency of sexual activity and people’s age. According to the results of the study, the older the age, the fewer the sexual encounters:
– Between 16 and 19 years: sexual frequency in teens can vary significantly. Many young people experience their first sexual relations at this stage and may have multiple encounters per month. However, it is important to emphasize that not all adolescents begin their sexual life in this period.
– Between 20 and 29 years of age: The frequency of sexual relations is 2 to 3 times per week, which is equivalent to an average of 8-12 times per month and 112 times per year.
– Between 30 and 39 years: At this stage, the number of sexual encounters decreases. Here, the average is 1 to 2 times a week, or 4 to 8 times a month, which equals an average of 86 sexual encounters a year.
– Between 40 and 49 years of age: There is a significant reduction in the production of hormones in both men and women. The frequency is similar to that one of the previous group, 1 to 2 times per week. Although, if there are health problems, it is possible that the sexual rhythm may decrease to about 69 sexual encounters per year.
– 50 years and older: In adulthood, sexual frequency decreases drastically to 1 to 2 encounters per month, or even less. But this is a stage that is influenced by health and hormonal changes such as andropause (men) and menopause (women).
In addition to the factors mentioned above, according to experts, in the adult stage, the workload, stress and increased responsibilities are conditions that cause couples to admit that they are exhausted and without energy, which causes the libido to diminish and think of the bed as a place to only sleep rather than one for sex.
In the case of couples with children, research reports more trouble in maintaining their sex life due to lack of time, fatigue, and not having couple spaces in which they are not interrupted by their kids.
And even though modern life makes it more difficult to have a frequent sex life, scientific studies report the wonderful benefits of having sex, which is a great incentive for everyone to find time in their busy schedules to warm up.
Orgasms result in many health benefits such as the production of oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin, known as the happy hormones. And how can you not be happy? If the immune system is strengthened, the uncomfortable symptoms of perimenopause and menopause diminish, and headaches begin to ease.
It’s clear that age is a determining factor in the frequency of the encounters, but it’s not an impediment to an active sex life. As sex educator Joan Price said: “Sex has no expiration date.”
So don’t mortify yourself by thinking about how many times you have sex per week, per month or year, the frequency is unique and only you and your partner know how to measure your times and spaces. Start this new year keeping in mind that the most important thing for your health and well-being is not the quantity, but the quality of the #sinrecato sex you have.
Traducción del español: Catalina Oviedo Brugés
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