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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

'DH' doesn't want sex with me

12 replies

kip · 09/12/2002 11:27

After 9 years and 3 kids together our sex life has petered out!

The problem is I have to supress my own healthy/average/normal sexual feelings because my husband has no drive. Is this impotency? He admits to masturbating alone quite regularly but apparently he does it out of neccessity not desire!

We love and trust each other implisitly, but don't enjoy a physical relationship at all. I feel rejected and hurt and very much alone as it seems that the norm is for the mans sex drive to be higher than the womans.

Is our relationship that unusual? Our youngest is two and a half and we last had sex about 6 months ago!

OP posts:
ks · 09/12/2002 12:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

clucks · 09/12/2002 12:24

Dear Kip

I sympathise with you and agree that the disruption of romance with the arrival of children may have a lot to do with it. I am a little surprised that he masturbates, this would rule out impotency. Generally, men would rather have sex with their wives (or anyone that will let them) than masturbate.

six months is a terribly long time. I often don't feel like it with DH and he is terribly hurt by this, it is usually worse when I feel resentful towards him.

He may be harbouring some resentment that he is unable to admit to. If you have a good relationship otherwise you may want to talk it through, although that sometimes blows everything out of proportion.

kip · 09/12/2002 12:57

Thanks for your responses.

I fell pregnant within 3 or 4 months of meeting him, 'things' were still at the honeymoon stage, over night things changed, he said/thought his lack of interest was me being pregnant only things never got better. We visited RELATE and had sex therapy... slight improvement, we planned the 2nd child! Then of course pregnancy and new baby it all went wrong again.

We do talk and he has suggested RELATE again, I think you (clucks) may be right when you talk about resentment. I sometimes wonder if he has yet accepted fatherhood completely, in arguements he'll highlight lifestyle changes since meeting me as detremental to his 'being'!!

I would rather sort this out ourselves than go for counselling again, hence my plea on this site!

OP posts:
ks · 09/12/2002 13:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

clucks · 09/12/2002 13:16

I agree that if he has suggested counselling you should go along. Feel a bit sorry for him, all alone in the loft.

On a personal note, when I told the health visitor that I did not want sex with DH (or anyone else I might add) and considered this normal 2 years after baby. She thought it was abnormal and I should see a counsellor too, I have mentioned it in tantrums to him but as I am expecting and particularly unstable, I am not sure if I am picking on him and left it.

Also in our area waiting lists for relate are about 3 months long.

I really do wish you well, I know that he loves you, as I love my husband but am too tired and not interested in sex which drives him crazy and he is sarcastic and unpleasant to me because of it. Do try not to be sarcy and tell him you'd rather he played with you than do internet porn and other seedy stuff. I'm deeply suspicious of men that spend too long on the computer.

One final point is that I fell pregnant very quickly after marrying and we were in a state of shock for quite a while, even though we were together for 3 yrs prior to marriage. I think you do miss that intimate time together, most other people get atleast a couple of years.

I hope this hasn't been too rambling. I'm having a 'resentful' day.

kip · 10/12/2002 09:14

ks/clucks thanks again for your time.

Yes I will go for counselling it wasn't a bad experience at all, I just feel that we ought to be able to handle this ourselves.

Now I need to wait for him to book us in, this is so we can both be clear in our heads that he wants this. (I know this probably sounds ridiculous as he did suggest it in the first place, I suppose it's a bit like the babysitter arranging fiasco)

I still feel unusual and alone, it's meant to be the women that go off sex.

OP posts:
Bozza · 10/12/2002 11:35

Kip - I don't think it necessarily as to be the woman that goes off sex. Also I wouldn't have thought it was impotence (as mentioned in your original post) because he is masturbating. So it sounds more like a relationship issue and the counselling sounds like a good idea, especially if it has helped in the past.

Tillysmummy · 10/12/2002 11:45

Kip, I agree with the others. You should go for counselling and 6 months is a long time and it's natural for you to be concerned. Have you tried spicing it up a bit ? Perhaps that would help.

My dh went off sex when I was pregnant (although was fine as soon as DD came out) and that pissed me off no end. Made my self esteem very low and felt fat and crap. I think it's normal for men to have problems with sex during pregnancy (although not all men do, some love it) but it should right itself once the baby is born. Of course then you are fighting with sleep deprivation, etc, etc. I often find that I am thinking about sex all day and intend to seduce my husband when he gets home but then after bathing DD, dinner a bit of telly, I get into bed and can't be bothered. Tiredness takes over. If we do make the effort though it's always well worth it
Is your dh not interested at any time or is it just that it's difficult to find the time ?

Bozza · 10/12/2002 12:01

I agree with Tillysmummy that men often go off sex during pregnancy. DH did - but I (like to) think it was more to do with feeling inhibited by the presence of the unborn baby than to do with not fancying me anymore.

Chinchilla · 10/12/2002 18:40

Kip - don't worry, you are not alone. Recently I had to wait three months for sex. Yes, I could have initiated it, but my dh has made it clear that he doesn't like my current figure (1 to 1.5 stone overweight), so I thought 'Why the hell should I?' He does not have a high libido anyway, and sex has always been an issue between us. Yes, it is the NORM for men to want it more than women, but in order for there to be an average, there have to be a few at the other end of the scale!

The problem arises not because of your dh or you specifically, but because of the difference in your sex drives. If I had a low libido like my dh, then I would not feel bad about the lack of sex. I think the issue here has to be whether you can live with the situation. Ultimately, all the counselling in the world will not change things if he genuinely has a low sex drive (as opposed to a deeper problem).

You say that you love each other, so are you prepared to lose that for a relationship with another man? This is a thought process that I have had many times in my head, and I have always come back to the answer that I love him, and want to be with him. I am sure that he masturbates, but have not asked him in the last ten years, as I just assume that he does. I know that I do, otherwise I would explode!

The only other thing that I can say is that having our ds has made our sex life even worse than it was before, as the stress and tiredness means that you have to make even MORE of an effort. It is rare that I feel completely horny at all, so the chance of our 'peak' times happening at the same time is tiny. Have you tried seducing him? Just a thought, I'm sure you have.

Let us know how the counselling goes if you decide to have it. My dh will not countenance the idea, so at least yours is trying to sort the situation out.

kip · 15/12/2002 14:57

Thanks to all of you for your support, particularly Chinchilla, you help me to feel a little less isolated.

I hope you're right with the sex drive theory and not the deep seated relationship problem, then again that means I get to lead a life of celibacy. Not a great prospect!

As for 'a bit on the side', that's totally out of the question our relationship and the stability of our family means too much to me. Anyway it's
not what I want, I want him!

Thankyou

OP posts:
SimonHoward · 15/12/2002 18:02

Kip

I have been through this sort of thing (but the roles were reversed), still am truth be told so I know how you feel and I do sympathise.

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