Four things that happen when you don’t get intimate

Whether that seems a little or a lot is totally your business, but one thing is for sure - "dry spells" happen to even the most libidinous of people. Maybe it's self-imposed. Maybe it's just the way the rotten cookie of life sometime crumbles. Whatever the story behind your fallow bedroom times, a lack of sex will (unsurprisingly) have a knock-on effect on your body and general psyche.

Yes, when it comes to your sex drive it seems it's a case of "use it or lose it."

“For some people who refrain from sex, they begin to feel more sluggish, with less vitality and hunger for sex," Sari Cooper, LCSW, certified sex therapist told Reader's Digest.

"Out of sight out of mind is how some of my clients describe the scenario."

This is not the case for everyone, however. Some people find the idea of sex even more desirable when having a dry spell.

Undeniably, it's women who are coming worse off. It may seem counter-intuitive, but having sex during your period can alleviate menstrual cramp. "The uterus is a muscle and many women will actually have a uterine contraction when they orgasm, which will cause the blood to expel more quickly, which will in turn decrease menstrual cramps," Dr Streicher explains.

"Also, there may be an increase in endorphins, which also will help with menstrual cramps."

Another side-effect which applies principally to older women, apparently the vagina struggles to get lubricated when you start having intercourse after a hiatus. What cause this - as well as thinning vaginal walls - is a lack of the hormone, oestrogen.

"If you take a young woman who's 20 or 30 years old she’s going to have plenty of oestrogen around to make sure those tissues stay healthy, elastic, and lubricated when she’s not having sex," explains Dr.Lauren Streicher.

"If you take someone who's 60 and has no estrogen, she has lost that piece of it.

This mainly applies to women entering the menopause. Sari explains, "Without regular frequency of intercourse as you get older the walls of your vagina thin out and can lead to painful sex when you finally get back into the sack."

To this end, the North American Menopause Society even recommend having regular penetrative sex to help vaginal health during menopause.