This is what happens to your body if you don't have sex

These are the ramifications of abstinence on a woman's body, according to a sex therapist.

Louis Mazanti told The Sun that women who do not get enough sex can experience a painful condition known as vaginal atrophy.

The condition is also known as 'vaginal dryness', which sounds much less extreme.

Symptoms, as listed by NHS England, include:

• vaginal irritation, discomfort, itchiness or a burning sensation
• discomfort during sex
• a reduced sex drive
• difficulty getting aroused and reaching orgasm
• the surface of the vagina looks pale and thin
• narrowing or shortening of the vagina
• needing to pee more often than usual
• repeated urinary tract infections (UTIs)

It is a condition which effects most women at some point during their lives, particularly after they have become menopausal.

Mazanti advised women keep vaginal tissue through regular orgasms, which she says will make it less likely to become inflamed or dry.

Sex itself will also improve blood flow around the body - bringing oxygen to those intimate areas.

Mental health

She told the Sun about the important mental health benefits of sex.

It is very important that we have a healthy sex life with a partner or with ourselves.

People very often say, ‘I don’t have a sex life because I don’t have a partner’.

But forget about that and have a sexual relationship with yourself.

It's about using massage and touching the tissue so that it becomes alive, the blood flows and the tissue becomes elastic.

It is really about exercising the tissue.

For more information about symptoms and cures for vaginal atrophy, visit NHS England's website.

HT The Sun

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