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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To want more sex

524 replies

Billiam · 01/01/2014 10:52

Lately DH and me have not had much sex. His libido is much lower than mine. Last couple of years his interest dropped to nothing. Talked lots and things have got better, but he said he did not want to feel he had to have sex a certain amount. But be said he would like it maybe once a month. Not enough for me, but I don't feel I can say this because it sounds like I am asking for a rota. Don't understand how he can know how often he will want it. I am afraid he just doesn't really want it at all but has decided he has to and has chosen a number he can put up with. Aibu

OP posts:
onthetrainoflife · 05/01/2014 08:22

It happened to DW ( I am a male) and I, 15 years of great sex (and I mean great, not much we did not do), then the time line played its tricks at 50 for her, hormones and other things, she like me was very concerned. We tried everything, romantic holidays, cosy nights at home, wine, toys. It just would not work for her.

BUT we talked about it and we both knew it was not for the lack of love, and we worked at it together for 5 years taking it week by week and not making it either of our faults rather a problem that needed to be discussed and resolved and we did other things to keep our hand in ( sorry about the pun).

And one night things changed and we are back !!. I would give one tip, talk about it, it’s going to be very intimate as the women’s body is/seems very complex compared to a male and you will have some serious arguments.

womblesofwestminster · 05/01/2014 11:02

Badger gave his reasons, and whilst we may not like the sound of it, it is certainly a genuine enough reason.

Let's look at his reason:

"Women don't age that well, especially after children"

Massive generalisation presented as fact. Then, notice the mansplaining:

"women of that age (most, not all) are busy avoiding sex in the belief that Brad Pitt will come along. By the time they realise they're nothing special and decide to sleep with men on their level (late 20s/early 30s), we're not that interested any more."

As others have said, it's pure misogyny.

womblesofwestminster · 05/01/2014 11:07

Generally speaking would my DH go for me if we met in a club now, no history, just first time meeting. No, I don't believe he would.

I think he would. Because, like you say, it's relative, you've 'both worn over the years'. Like sticks with like. People tend to not punch above their weight.

Nousernameforme · 05/01/2014 11:18

Can we please ignore the badger and his baiting we are all agreed he adds very little to the discussion I know i have begged and pleaded with my partner to tell me if this is the case surely after 14 years he would of just gone ffs yes you're an old baggage now stop pestering. Even if just to get me off his back.
I have a little upside to tell about as I said yesterday I got dp to read this thread he managed 5 pages so didn't actually see anything i wrote. He says it hit a chord with him. His words were when I say it it's nagging but to see it from other people in the same situation he can see how damaging it can be and is going to try and sort his own head out. If that doesn't work then he is going to try and get help. I have taken all this with a huge pinch of salt and I am sticking to my two years in my head so to me very little has changed but if he works at this and does try well thats a best case scenario if he doesn't I now know i won't have to put up with it forever

JadziaSnax · 05/01/2014 12:48

I believe that DH would be attracted to me if we met now (me 40, him 50) as it's not just about looks, we have so much else in common. I'm certainly still attracted to him, very much so.

He's read a.lot of this thread (up to Thursday night) and described it as a real eye opener. He wasn't really that surprised though when I said that a lot of the comments are exactly how I feel. It's opened the lines of communication a bit. Here's hoping that we can have an adult conversation.

In reply to a PP who asked about affection, yes he's still very affectionate. He's also really kind and thoughtful too.

Badger, if that's how you feel then so be it. If I thought for one minute that DH felt that way, one of us would have our bags packed because it would be completely pointless carrying on the relationship.

Cherrytree63, I'm really sorry to hear that you're having such a rough time of it. Flowers

womblesofwestminster · 05/01/2014 13:14

My DH has also read this thread. I think it's what prompted us to have a productive, adult conversation yesterday - initiated by him, WTF! Shock

cherrytree63 · 05/01/2014 13:30

Thanks for flowers Jadzia!

Thanks to OP for starting this thread and making me and others feel not so alone!

And thanks for everyone who has taken the time to read my ramblings and been kind enough to reply!

c xx

Biedronka · 05/01/2014 13:35

A weight issue isn't and has never been the problem. When I met Dp I was 4 stones heavier than I am now.

I'm not saying that it can't be an issue, it's just not for us.
FFS if my Dp was anywhere near as shallow and misogynistic as badger sounds then I wouldn't give him the time of day.

I also get lots of attention from other men, Dp notices, sometimes he ignores it, sometimes it winds him up. I know I'm not unattractive, my opinions in last posts are purely how I interpret my situation (however fucked up or way off the mark they probably are) and I actually agree with what Nousernameforme says - Surely my Dp would have given me 'the truth' by now, instead of going round in vicious circles.
We are not tied to each other by marriage or DC so realistically there's no reason for him to be with me if he didn't want to be.

IfNotNowThenWhen
Agree with much of your 00:31:43 post (too much to quote)

Btw- Nouser I hope your Dp reading the other posts has some positive effect.

Dark - Madonna/Whore complex is something that I'd thought about and it kind of made sense.
Dp and I have discussed marriage and children which I believed could of made him view me differently after he realised he wanted those things with me. However, after questioning him about when he knew I was that person it didn't make that much sense any more as the sex problems predated but his Mother issues are relevant Confused

Spink · 05/01/2014 19:16

Interesting article.... 14% men report a "distressing lack of sexual interest" for 2 months in ea yr

womblesofwestminster · 05/01/2014 20:30

Here's a thread where a woman doesn't want sex and gets (justifiably) flamed for it.

Writerwannabe83 · 05/01/2014 20:52

I think I'm going to try and initiate sex with my DH tonight Grin

Purplemonster · 05/01/2014 20:56

Good for you Writer, hope it goes well for you, wish I had the courage but if anything I feel even more depressed now I've read this thread just because I think I've buried my head in the sand about it all recently and thinking about it again has just upset me about it all again. I think because I know deep down I can't live like this forever and I really don't think it's going to get better and our baby is only 6 months old Sad

Beth9009 · 05/01/2014 21:00

People who can't even find it in them to have sex more than a measly once a month shouldn't get married in the first place, unless of course their partner has a similar sex drive. It only ever ends in trouble.

Writerwannabe83 · 05/01/2014 21:07

purple - this thread has really affected me too. I was in tears this morning after reading updates, it has bought back all the painful memories and feelings that I'd tried to bury. I thought I'd reached the stage of acceptance and just getting on with life in a sexless marriage, but this thread has made me see that I can't give up on us yet. I don't think it will go very well tonight as he may use my pregnancy as a 'get out clause' and I won't know if he genuinely isn't comfortable about it or whether it's just a convenient excuse.... He has just called out to me actually to ask if I want to go and lie down and watch a film upstairs. I guess it's a good enough place to start.

beth - the problem is that our partners are so perfect in every other way, I couldn't imagine being married to anyone more lovely than my DH, he's just wonderful. There is no way, upon his proposal, I would have said no just because we have mismatched sex drives. His good points outweigh this one negative point a 100 tines over.

Purplemonster · 05/01/2014 21:37

Oh writer I really hope tonight works out for you. My DP unfortunately isn't perfect in every other way which makes it even harder though i'm sure i'd find everything else easier to deal with if we could be more intimate/be closer.
He wouldn't come near me much when I was pregnant and definitely not at all once I was over 20 weeks and had a bump as he said it was too weird but we've only had sex twice since the baby was born and as I said, she's 6 months. Which means it has been twice in a year which even taking off a couple of months to account for late pregnancy/straight after birth still just isn't enough and it wasn't much more frequent before. It all just makes me so sad.

Writerwannabe83 · 05/01/2014 21:44

Well, if it does happen tonight it will only be our 4th time in 15 months so hardly anything worth shouting about [ smile] I had three episodes of early bleeding in my pregnancy and that made sex the last thing on my mind but even if we hadn't had that problem I doubt we'd have had sex anyway. But, in his defence, after I had seen my Consultant at 14 weeks he did ask what had been said about us being allowed to have sex - I'd actually been told to abstain from sexual until my 20 week scan and DH did seem a bit put out. Could have just been a cover up though. 8 weeks have passed since my 20 week scan and there has been no sex. I am anxious about possibly causing harm to the baby though as a result of sex (due to previous bleeds) so there are some factors which may have influenced why sex has never been had. I have a definite bump, which is always wriggling.....I honestly don't know how DH will react if I start coming onto him. It will be an interesting experiment I suppose....

womblesofwestminster · 05/01/2014 22:02

Good luck Writer!!

cherrytree63 · 05/01/2014 22:16

Good luck Writer from me too!

Darkesteyes · 05/01/2014 22:24

Thirded Good luck Thanks

Coconutty · 05/01/2014 22:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

JadziaSnax · 05/01/2014 22:49

Good luck writer.

BloodyHell123 · 05/01/2014 22:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Writerwannabe83 · 06/01/2014 00:48

Operation sex = 100% success rate!! Smile
Not even the hint of rejection of any kind. I just snuggled up, started seductively stroking, instant erection and the rest is history Wink

Beth9009 · 06/01/2014 01:31

That's great to hear, WW83!

Estrellita · 06/01/2014 01:37

I'm an old poster and not about much more (have namechanged for privacy) but had to comment as very moved by the discussion - this was completely my situation 10 years ago and I could have written so many of these posts word for word.

My ex-H began rejecting me sexually after the first six months we were together. For the next 18 months we had only sporadic sexual contact, usually consisting of quick pleasure just for him. I stopped making advances after awhile of this as the rejection was so humiliating. Both my ex-H and I were in our 20's. I was considered attractive and had never been short of boyfriends or interested men. I had never experienced anything of the sort, and was extremely hurt and confused by it all.

It was absolutely soul destroying, and looking back I can't believe that I endured it for the six long years that I did. The worst thing, more so than the humiliation of constant rejection, was ex-H's complete refusal to discuss the issue. Every time it was brought up, I was met with rage. We would argue and he would storm out and be cold for days. I found it heartbreaking that the person I loved and cherished so much didn't want me in the same way I wanted him. At all. And also, how he didn't particularly seem to care how hurt I felt by it all.

After 4 years of no sexual contact al all, I snapped and had a number of affairs. I'm not particularly proud of that but I was very depressed and hardly in my right mind. I never lied outright to my ex about any of this, we had more of a "don't ask don't tell" arrangement. I wasn't brave enough to simply leave. Despite the complete lack of physical intimacy, we were very emotionally entangled, plus I was living in a country that was foreign to us both, and my work and housing situation was quite unstable.

None of these relationships were serious until the last one when I fell in love with my current DH and left my ex for him. I wasn't brave enough to leave my ex before this moment of realising that I could actually spend my life with someone who truly loved me - body and soul. My self-esteem was zero at the time, so it was a complete revelation to me.

I never found out what ex-H's problem was - young man, not gay, not abused, no ED, low T or anything like that. I think that after the initial phase of our relationship, he just stopped fancying me (though he always said that he still did, strangely enough) but was too weak to end the relationship because of the emotional comfort it provided.

FWIW my DH that I've been with now is a wonderful, caring and attentive lover. We have been together for 10 years, and have two young DC. We couldn't be happier, and I feel very fortunate to have found such a good man as I've found in him. We have sex maybe 2 times per week on average - we would both like more but are sometimes too worn out - DC are 1 and 4 and neither have been great sleepers though the eldest has made a lot of improvement over the past year. Besides, the quality is so good when we do that the quantity doesn't matter that much. For me, I like sex not so much to scratch an itch but to give and receive pleasure with the man that I love.

Weight / aging / misogynist argument does not apply in this case. I was with ex-H from age 22-28 and was a size 10. We had no DC together. I am now 38, a size 14 and have had two children. I look after myself and my body, but I have fine lines on my face, stretch marks, a bit of cellulite, section scar from DC2, I bf DC1 until age 2 and am still bf DC2. DH says I grow more beautiful every day.

My heart goes out to all of you in this horrid situation, it is utterly soul destroying. I truly hope that you can find a way out cause it's hell.