Going for a long period without sex can have a lasting impact on one's physical and mental health, experts warn.
Dr Tara Suwinyattichaiporn, a sex and relationship expert, has analysed what happens in the body during a dry spell - and it's not good.
What's more, more of us than ever are going for long periods without sex. A 2021 UCLA study found 38 percent of 18 to 30-year-old Californians had no sexual partners in the year prior, up from 22 percent in 2011.
Dr Suwinyattichaiporn told the Daily Mail that abstaining from sex and masturbation can lead to extreme symptoms arising in the body, as well as mental health impacts.
Penile and vaginal atrophy
Penile atrophy happens when the penile tissue becomes less elastic, causing it to shrink in size by one to two centimetres.
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Tobias Kohler, and assistant professor of urology at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, told WebMD that without regular erections, the penis will become less elastic and therefore shrink.
He said: "If [men] don't do anything to maintain normal erections, they will get shortening of the penis."
However, the science linking not having sex to penile atrophy hasn't reached a conclusion on how long it takes for the condition to develop.
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Suwinyattichaiporn said it would likely take upwards of five years of no sex to occur.
For women, vaginal atrophy can affect those who have penetrative sex less often. It's when the vaginal walls become drier and thinner and can result in burning, itching and pain during sex.
An increased risk of prostate cancer
Some men can see their chances of getting prostate cancer go up if they abstain from having sex for long time periods.
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The connection between a sex drought and prostate cancer lies in the sperm. Researchers believe that carcinogens build up in the prostate over time, which increases the risk of cancer, but studies have found that ejaculating regularly may prevent cancer because it flushes out the harmful chemicals in the semen, according to the Urology Care Foundation.
Mental health impacts
Dr Suwinyattichaiporn observes that those who don't masturbate or engage in sexual activities on the regular can experience increased stress levels due to sexual frustration, anxiety, depression and anger issues.
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Sex therapist Sari Cooper told the Daily Mail that couples who go longer periods without having sex 'don't approach their partner with softness, vulnerability and requests for compromise'
She added: "They also don't have the technique to repair conflicts and instead blame one another, pursue the other with continuous criticism, or elicit a guilty response in order to get their needs met."
Stefania Sarrubba