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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

How to revive sex life

10 replies

crackerbarrel · 07/03/2021 07:25

So. Simply put, our sex life is a shambles.

We've been together for years, grown up dc. Sex used to be great up until about ten years ago. I'm not saying we were swinging from the chandeliers, but the frequency was right for both of us, and we were both enthusiastic and satisfied.

Anyway over the last ten years we've had various issues including porn, ED (definitely related), dwindling libido, menopause, mood swings, people staying with us making us feel self conscious in case of making a noise, etc. We've ended up in this situation where we don't communicate well (he's better at talking than I am, I tend to get very emotional and cry, and end up a snivelling wreck) and we have intermittent attempts at sex roughly monthly, sometimes it's fine and other times he either can't perform or has premature ejaculation. The whole sex thing has become the elephant in the room really, I think we both feel awkward and scared to even try sometimes which then obviously causes issues.

I feel like we've reached a crisis point where we either give up on it altogether, and agree to a sexless marriage, or we start from scratch and make a real effort to get back on track. We obviously need to sit down and talk it though to see what we both want and if we are on the same page.

What I'd like to know, is can anyone recommend any free online resources for sex therapy? I don't think either of us would feel comfortable speaking to a therapist, but if we do decide to try and resolve this, we would really need some guidance.

OP posts:
YukoandHiro · 07/03/2021 07:43

Has he committed to ditching porn? That's an important first step. If he's suffering with ED while masturabating successfully to porn it's definitely affecting how his natural libido is responding to a real human being - and obviously that's going to make you feel like shit and less interested too.

I'm going to get flamed for this but have you gone back to early dating basics - eg go out, do something that's very connecting eg a shared experience and get drunk first. You might need to do this a few times to remind yourself what uninhibited sex is like and retrain your brains. If you made sex part of a bigger experience of one another rather than just a chore that would be good. I realise this is trickier during lockdown.

What frequency would you both ideally like?

garden4569 · 07/03/2021 08:01

Also maybe take sex off the agenda for a bit but focus on intimacy, cook, eat, bathe, be togetherwith a focus on sensual pleasure but without the pressure of sex.

What's ED by the way?

crackerbarrel · 07/03/2021 08:02

He committed to ditching porn years ago, it was something he did when he worked away and he would rarely get the opportunity now as he's wfh for years (in this house it would be nigh on impossible to get "private time" and I genuinely don't think he's a watching porn in the toilet kind of guy)

OP posts:
crackerbarrel · 07/03/2021 08:02

@garden4569 erectile disfunction

OP posts:
crackerbarrel · 07/03/2021 08:05

@YukoandHiro well we would love to do that but at the moment it's pretty impossible to go anywhere. Lockdown has made the issue ten times worse. We can't do "date night" type of things because we have adult dc staying here at the moment. I'm realising we might not be able to do anything to help the situation until life gets back to some kind of normal.

OP posts:
AllTheCakes · 07/03/2021 08:08

I agree with the back to basics comment. Try and focus on physical intimacy without the pressure of sex. Massages, kissing, bathing together. Difficult to do with adult DC at home though!

crackerbarrel · 07/03/2021 08:14

@AllTheCakes yes, can you imagine the horror if we said we are off for a joint bath, please don't disturb!

OP posts:
SunshineCocktails · 07/03/2021 08:30

Hi OP. I really recommend looking up Sensate Focus. It’s a sex therapy technique developed in the 60s, but still widely used by therapists for treating sexual dysfunction in couples because it works. It’s a multi stage process that begins with touching, and gradually introduces elements of intimacy, leading to eventual intercourse. There are plenty of free resources online that explain the stages of the technique in depth, or if you’re interested further you can also buy the Sensate Focus in Sex Therapy book online.

garden4569 · 07/03/2021 08:32

You could kick your adult children out for an hour or two though. Just ask them to take a walk as you and your husband want to have an hour to talk and have a tiny bit of peace and quiet.
We have done this with our 3 kids during lock down as otherwise, there is never anytime alone.

crackerbarrel · 07/03/2021 12:02

@SunshineCocktails that sounds exactly the sort of thing I'm looking for, thank you 😊

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