by Breelyn Sirk

Created on: May 27, 2009

Between all of the suggestive T.V shows, the popularity of Playboy, and the racy columns in Cosmopolitan, you would think that everyone wants to have sex, but that assumption is far from the truth. The fact that people are bombarded with images of sex actually has a detrimental effect a lot of times on peoples libido because it puts pressure on what is supposed to be the "norm" for sexuality, and the beautiful model types that are pop cultures current definition of "sexy" certainly doesn't make women have a positive body image of themselves. Those issues are just the tip of the iceberg on the different reasons why people lose interest in sex, but there are a few prominent ones.

The most talked about case of a person no longer wanting sex is when there is marriage or a long term relationship involved. A lot of couples who have been together for a long time find that sex sometimes takes a back burner to other issues such as work, family, or children. Sex can also lose its appeal to these couples because after years together, sex is almost seen as a chore; it becomes the "same old, same old" so to speak because the spark has been extinguished by life circumstances, and so the interest in sex goes away. Relationship problems such as harboring anger or resentment towards a partner also can lead to losing an interest in sex; one of the top reasons why men seek a divorce is over sex. That fact alone shows how serious and common the issue of lack of sex in a marriage is; people who have that issue should use communication and an open mind to try and get the spark back or find a common ground.

One cause of a drop of interest in sex for many individuals is a low self esteem and negative body image. This issue usually occurs for women, whether they are single or attached. Today's society has a high standard for what a sexy body is supposed to look like, and unfortunately many men go along with this superficial idea and like women who look like Barbie dolls. This leads to women that don't have the perfect body to look at themselves in a negative way, making them feel very un-sexy, so the thought of being naked and having sex brings out their insecurities and is a difficult thing for them to deal with.

A common and hard to prevent reason behind a drop in libido is aging. As a person grows older, their energy level can decrease, men can develop erectile dysfunction, more medication is taken for various ailments and sometimes those have the side effect of lowering libido and just like in a lot of marriages, sex can seem like a lower priority as you get older. Women inevitably have to go through menopause, which can definitely throw their sex drive out of whack, not only because of the hormonal changes in their body, but also the emotional stress of going through the "life change"

All of these reasons are not death sentences for a person's sex life by any means. If they can communicate with their partner, seek medical advice when needed, and have confidence in themselves, then they will be on the road to getting back that interest for fun sex.

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