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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think sex is overrated and not all that important?

214 replies

NoNoLabido · 04/07/2022 20:59

I'm in my late 20's and as it stands I'd probably be happy not to bother with it ever again, or atleast for the fordeeable future.

I have young children and some health problems all of which I'm sure contribute to the loss of libido to an extent but even without those factors I can't wrap my head around just why some people are so obsessed with it. My husband falls into that category. He would gladly have it three times a day if he could. Obviously that's a problem.

I digress, AIBU to think sex just isn't as important as people make it out to be?

There is more to life than orgasms and more than one way to be intimate.

OP posts:
MangyInseam · 04/07/2022 23:57

NoNoLabido · 04/07/2022 23:25

I do love him yes, but I'm sure he feels that I don't regardless of how much I insist that I do.

I totally understand the fact he wants it, I'm just struggling to understand how that is an all encompassing need iyswim.

Crap comparison perhaps but I really want a different house, a car that isn't on its last legs, the ability to go on a holiday. I don't actually need those things though and certainly wouldn't want somebody to get upset in my pursuit of them. I most definitely wouldn't do anything to cause any disruption to my DC' lives in the pursuit of them. The thought doesn't bare thinking about.

Meanwhile his apparent need for sex is so all encompassing that he's prepared, as we have seen, to completely implode our lives to achieve it.

We are intimate in many ways, we embrace, kiss, hold hands. I'm his biggest supporter and have stuck by him through thick and thin. I have nursed him when he had a period of significant illness. I have done so much for his older children and loved them.

I guess I don't understand how a shag can be more meaningful and important than the kind of companionship and 'being a team' that we are in all ways except that.

I suppose thats the difference when somebody prioritises sex more highly than the other.

If it's about trying to wrap your head around it, I think you could to some extent compare it to a person who is on a diet where they feel kind of hungry all the time. You always feel your hunger even if it's low level, you think about food a lot, any time there is food around it distracts you, and you have to put a certain amount of energy into not thinking or doing anything about it all or focusing on other things.

And then with sex it also crosses over into feelings around rejection and intimacy so it can feel bad to be rejected even if you understand that people have different levels of interest.

The fact that we have the technological capability to have sex pretty much all the time without consequences now doesn't help.

SmallThingsEverywhere · 05/07/2022 00:00

NoNoLabido · 04/07/2022 22:36

I had a fair amount of sex in my formative years and not all of it was consensual as theres a bit of trauma there, I'm wondering if my subconscious now associates sex to being something negative and my 'dread' is something of a freeze response? It's strange though as I didn't feel this way before DC even though the negative experiences happened quite a long time before DH came along. Can things be triggered years after the fact?

Just read this and think you may be right, although your DH cheating on you wouldn’t help💐

Viviennemary · 05/07/2022 00:01

Its exciting at the start of a relationdhip but after children and ill health no its not so great.

lookthisway · 05/07/2022 00:04

MangyInseam · 04/07/2022 23:40

Over-rated is subjective on an individual level. But I do think our society puts an unreasonable amount of emphasis on sex, mainly to drive consumerism.

Not all that important is harder. In some ways it's really important, but maybe it's not always important to be having it. It can also be important to become ok with not having it, and that's not quite the same as just forgetting about it.

I agree with this point. I think sex drive differs so much from person to person. I've always had a stronger one than my DH but as I've got older (50), I am not that bothered anymore. I'd honestly rather read a good book, lol.

BEAM123 · 05/07/2022 00:07

I used to feel like that but then I discovered women.

It turned out I liked the emotional closeness but didn't actually sexually fancy men.

But also if you are busy with kids etc it's easy to go into mum and housekeeper mode. Try to allow yourself to think about sex, read sexy stories and have those thoughts as well. It's not easy to switch at 10pm from 'mum' mode to 'alluring temptress' mode if you haven't given it a thought till your DH suddenly appears with a twinkle in his eye.

MummyGummy · 05/07/2022 00:11

It really sounds like you should talk to a therapist to help you work though all this and put some boundaries in place. Having sex when you don’t want to will make your mental health worse & the outcome will likely be the same anyway.

From your posts it sounds like this is his second marriage, presumably he had similar problems with his first wife plus he’s had an affair so very unlikely to change his behaviour.

Try and get as much support in place as possible (DLA, EHCP, respite, social services etc) so the care of your child isn’t down to you 24/7.

If you divorce your husband will have some kind of contact arrangement, during the week or EOW. That would give you time to recuperate and recharge. Depending on finances you could pay for other help eg nanny or cleaner during the time you have them.

Last time he left it sounds like you were devastated and understandably found it hard to cope, but it would get better once you adjusted and had other support/arrangements in place.

You only get one life, and you deserve better than this.

IamtheDevilsAvocado · 05/07/2022 00:38

WhileMyGuitarGentlyWeeps · 04/07/2022 21:39

YANBU to feel how you feel, but a LOT of people will disagree. Well, people, your age anyway. Ask people (women especially) who are 50+ and many will agree with you. But I can't think of a single person under 40 who ever said sex was boring/underrated/unimportant etc...

I'm over 50...all my pals irl of a similar age have pretty healthy /strong sex drives... As do I...
Often menopause, free of concerns re pregnancy provides a second wind!

Another pal in her 60s...was really upset due to very difficult disability, penetrative sex unlikely to happen again .another recently widowed was opining how much she missed sex.

Some of these women went thru periods when their drive had virtually disappeared.

madroid · 05/07/2022 00:39

I think you need to get your DH to focus on sorting out some extra help caring for your DC. Not you, him.

In the meantime, in your situation, I think you're right to try to play along to keep him happy IF you can reframe it as giving yourself or doing something loving with/to the man you love. If it still feels so distressing you're dreading it and breaking down then you really must stop.

Also has your dr done a full bloods screen, including iron and vit d? Just to rule out a physical dimension. But to me it sounds like a trust/being knackered issue.

jacks11 · 05/07/2022 01:11

Well, you are entitled to feel however you feel about sex. And to never have sex again, if you don’t want to. You aren’t wrong to feel that way. It does sound like there is a lot going on in terms of your health, your caring responsibility and TBH your relationship doesn’t seem in the healthiest place- all of which could be contributing to your lack of libido. Or, perhaps, this is just how it is for you. Either way, you are entitled to your feelings and should never have sex if you don’t want to.

But, others feelings about sex- e.g. that it is very important to them within a relationship and something they don’t want to do without- is every bit as valid as your feelings. Your husband is not terrible or disgusting or a horrid person for wanting sex daily or multiple times a day, just as you aren’t any of those things for refusing sex.

However, this may mean you simply aren’t sexually compatible. Perhaps relationship counselling may help? There will often be strain on a marriage where sex drives and the importance placed on sex are highly divergent between the couple- especially if one partner unilaterally simply decides “nope, not for me. End of” or only agrees (begrudgingly) to keep their partner “happy”. It’s not a great feeling (been there) to think your partner is probably only agreeing out of a sense of duty. It’s pretty degrading, actually (and then, in turn, puts you off too). But then I guess feeling hounded (even if not the intent) for sex is pretty miserable too.

I think you need to seek counselling and talk it through. I’m not convinced that this relationship is making either of you happy- he appears to feel rejected and you feel pressured into having sex you don’t want and with a man you don’t seem to particularly like. You say you need him to stay because of your child. Do you actually want HIM, for him, or just because you need his physical help with your child and financial support too? Because I don’t think it’s fair to either of you to be trapped in an unhappy relationship for that reason.

I mean, it’s pretty grim to feel that your partner only wants you around because they need your financial support and help with your child, that they don’t really want to be in a relationship because they love you and who you are and that they don’t want to have sex when it’s important to you. And make it quite clear they they feel that the fact you want sex is somehow wrong. I know from your flip side things aren’t great either- ? Feeling he’s only interested in sex, doesn’t understand your point of view and so on (and his infidelity is a problem).

All that said, I wouldn’t want to stay in a relationship where I was tolerated as a “necessary evil” and sex was off the cards forever (or permitted rarely, under sufferance). In part, it comes across as though you want the marriage to continue for convenience/support without being overly fussed about your husband (I.e. he could be anyone who could fulfil the need for supporting you with your child and providing financially). If our husband picks up that vibe too, it must be quite tough. You can still co-parent without being married, and that is more likely if a split is amicable.

I think if left unaddressed you will both grow more resentful of each other and it won’t end well.

I have been in a similar position to your husband with an ex-partner whose libido had always been lower than mine but nose-dived after a while. He simply decided it wasn’t happening, made me feel guilty/that I was hounding him for even suggesting sex- so much do that I stopped even hinting or suggesting because he made me feel disgusting, or that I was being totally out of line/horrid and pressuring him. It was miserable- I felt rejected, unattractive, knocked my self-esteem, made me question whether I actually was behaving terribly/was I a bad person. It was not great. Until I realised that, actually, I wasn’t wrong for wanting sex or to ask for it (as long as fully respecting a rejection etc), just as my partner wasn’t wrong to not want sex. What wasn’t ok was a unilateral decision by my partner, with little discussion and no effort to look at my needs/wants either.

looking back, it felt like emotional manipulation to make me feel “wrong” so I would stay and ask no questions- I am not really sure why he wanted a relationship with me because it didn’t really seem to make him happy but I do sometimes wonder if “someone” was better than nobody. I think it is true that had he cared about me then he would have made an effort to try and address the issue in some way, together, instead of turning it into a “me” problem.

i left, and it was the right thing to do. We weren’t married and no children. Best thing I ever did. Maybe it will be for you both too? If that’s not what you want, then you need to work a healthier way through it and couples counselling could be a good place to start.

onlythreenow · 05/07/2022 01:13

I'm sacrificing my own autonomy because apparently some people (him) can't live without it

That makes it sound as though your wishes are more important than his, and that he is some sort of deviant for wanting sex!

I live alone and no sex doesn't bother me, but it did when I lived with my ex. Not enough for me to consider leaving him, and I'm sure I could have put up with no sex if we had stayed together, but I can't say I didn't miss it. I don't want to have sex just for the sake of it, but I think it is an important part of a loving healthy relationship.

ashitghost · 05/07/2022 01:19

I haven’t had sex for five years. I had cancer. Lots of surgery, lasting damage from chemo. My body just feels utterly broken and I don’t want anyone near it. I can’t see this ever changing.

BlueMumDays · 05/07/2022 06:53

I used to feel that way in my late twenties, when my kids were little.

Early forties now, and I honestly can't get enough! The biggest revelation for me was coming off The Pill (and also, I had zero sex drive when breastfeeding)

Nugg · 05/07/2022 07:06

There are several understandable reasons your libido has declined, however I'd be more concerned that you've no desire to try and look into ways to increase it.

FunDragon · 05/07/2022 07:21

I disagree with a lot of the posts on here.

I think when you marry someone you promise to love them in sickness and health, for better for worse, etc. You don’t promise to love them as long as they put out. There are loads of reasons why sex could be off the menu in a relationship for a long time. Cancer is an obvious one (as a PP mentioned). My DH has Crohn’s Disease and when he has a flare sex is out of the question, sometimes for months at a time. Birth injuries. And sick children. I think if you love someone

What kind of person would pressurise a cancer sufferer to have sex they didn’t want? What sort of person would I be if I cheated on my DH because he isn’t putting out when he’s going to the toilet 30 times a day? What sort of person would my DH have been if he’d pressured me to have sex after I’d suffered a third degree tear?

OP and her husband have a severely disabled child by the sounds of it - one that requires 24/7 care, which is provided by OP. I’m not surprised OP isn’t gagging to have sex. And I think pressuring the full time carer of a severely disabled child to have sex they don’t want is a shitty thing to do.

NDandMe · 05/07/2022 07:24

Pressuring anyone to have sex they don't want is a shitty thing to do. There's a word for that.

AchatAVendre · 05/07/2022 07:42

Honestly, sex is quite nice but theres other things I want to do with my spare time too and I'm not keen on wasting an entire day or weekend around sex. Yes, in the beginning of a relationship thats normal but for most people, its not realistic unless they have a very high sex drive.

I was unfortunate enough to be involved in my earlier life with two men who basically made sex their hobby - trust fund boys who didn't really work for a living, who slept around and upset a lot of people. I didn't realise that about them at first of course. But they are still like that, one is now married and cheating and the other is still single and spends most of his life texting various women trying to get them to sleep with him and then messing them around or dumping them if they try to get too serious.

Its a poor path to go down - sex should form part of your life if it makes you happy but once you give it too much importance, it can like anything you place too much importance on, be a destructive force.

Sniffypete · 05/07/2022 07:47

I was going to say if you're not that bothered, then you're doing it with the wrong person.

Then you commented that he had cheated on you and that proved my point.

A relationship without sex is pointless.

NoNoLabido · 05/07/2022 08:04

Thank you for the replies, I've taken comfort from the fact I'm not totally alone in my thinking as there has been times where I have felt completely defective and 'boring' for having no interest.

Splitting up wouldn't make my life any easier, only worse. 50/50 isn't possible due to his work. That's what I'm struggling with when I really think about it, how can something as trivial as sex be the reason an entire family unit is teetering on the verge of collapse. How can it be that important? It would be me that gets the shit end of the stick of course. I'd be the frazzled carer left behind wading through treacle whilst he's off reliving his youth shagging about.

Contrary to the sex issue we do make a great team, we have a laugh together and enjoy one another's company. I enjoy being in his presence. We make one another's lives better for being with one another, again in all other ways aside sex.

OP posts:
SavoirFlair · 05/07/2022 08:06

A relationship without sex is pointless.

That’s your point of view only though. And is offensive to those who feel otherwise, and can quite happily and legitimately have a relationship without sex

The key though is point of view. If someone who sees sex as breathing, a natural and essential part of their life, is with someone who would “much rather enjoy a good book”, then it’s often curtains

but be careful of throwing around assertions like the above. while for me that’s true, and I love sex, it’s not the same for everyone

RaraRachael · 05/07/2022 08:09

halfsiesonapotnoodle · 04/07/2022 21:09

I agree OP. I just can't be bothered with it.

Sums me up too. I'm in a long term relationship and we never have sex. Neither of us ever initiates anything and that suits me fine.
Any sex I've had in the past seemed like a chore.

Each to their own.

SavoirFlair · 05/07/2022 08:09

how can something as trivial as sex be the reason an entire family unit is teetering on the verge of collapse. How can it be that important?

With the greatest of respect OP I think you should seek relationship counselling or some support to understand why sex is not “trivial” to some people, and why it can be “that important”.

You sound wonderful and totally focused on your DC with needs. It’s all admirable. But there’s also a relationship with your other half here at stake. One which he partially views through the lens of sexual interaction.

You can call it trivial, you can belittle him by talking about “shagging”, but in the end he wants sex, you don’t. If you make him sound banal, pathetic, needy, it might make you feel better for five mins on here with the like minded “I prefer tea and a good book” crowd, but it doesn’t solve anything at home. At all.

Please do consider counselling. NOT so that you can trick yourself into wanting sex again. But to understand that the man on the other end of this argument isn’t an inconvenience for wanting something different to you.

AchatAVendre · 05/07/2022 08:11

Sniffypete A relationship without sex is pointless.

A bit harsh on people who can't have sex for medical reasons, who might be dying, who are working abroad while their partner is at home, etc.!

Trixiefirecracker · 05/07/2022 08:14

For me, sex is a massive part of our relationship. I would struggle without it and would feel rejected and unloved in part of my partner didn’t want to be intimate with me. I do think it’s a massive part of a relationship, especially in the beginning. I think it’s unfair to hold on to a realty that’s not satisfying you both just because it will be harder work to be on your own. If you are not having sex, you are really just mates aren’t you? And people don’t enter in to marriage just to be friends ( well rarely) they do so because they are attracted to one another, are in love and want to show that through intimacy.

SleeplessInEngland · 05/07/2022 08:15

It’s fine not to want it but it does sound like your relationship is in serious trouble, and I wonder if you even mind at this point.

Trixiefirecracker · 05/07/2022 08:15

Whoops! Typos! *relationship not realty!

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