# How many sex partners per year have you had... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 21, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-sex-partners-per-year-have-you-had/518441 "2009-11-21T20:02:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-sex-partners-per-year-have-you-had/518441/1 "2009-11-21T20:02:37Z")
…since you became sexually active? For the numerator, use whatever act you count toward your “number.” I’m not looking for an argument over whether a drunken BJ in a bathroom counts as a partner or not. Personally, I’m just counting intercourse. For the denominator, use your current age minus the age that you lost your “virginity.” Again, your virginity is what you make of it. Personally, I’ve been active for 18 years, nine of which were in an exclusive relationship. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-sex-partners-per-year-have-you-had/518441/2 "2009-11-21T20:04:18Z")
One. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-sex-partners-per-year-have-you-had/518441/3 "2009-11-21T20:05:31Z")
Depending on what your definition of is is I can count them on one hand. And that includes the hand. [sigh] ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-sex-partners-per-year-have-you-had/518441/4 "2009-11-21T20:11:12Z")
.21, if I did the math correctly based on your example. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-sex-partners-per-year-have-you-had/518441/5 "2009-11-21T20:15:43Z")
Oh, I totally did that wrong. Okay. .22222… ---
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-sex-partners-per-year-have-you-had/518441/6 "2009-11-21T20:17:32Z")
Yeah, in case there are any questions about the math: Mine is 22 partners / 18 years, for 1.22. I picked “M: 1-2”. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-sex-partners-per-year-have-you-had/518441/7 "2009-11-21T20:19:31Z")
Well over 6. I had years in my 20s that the number was at least 50 per year. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-sex-partners-per-year-have-you-had/518441/8 "2009-11-21T20:25:03Z")
Mine was 3 people/14 years, FYI. Wait, shit, I forgot somebody. Make that 4 people/14 years. New total: .28. Does not change my poll answer. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-sex-partners-per-year-have-you-had/518441/9 "2009-11-21T20:50:24Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Depending on what your definition of is is I can count them on one hand. And that includes the hand. [sigh] Didn’t do that right did I? .2 ---
**Author:** ![myskepticsight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@myskepticsight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myskepticsight)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-sex-partners-per-year-have-you-had/518441/10 "2009-11-21T21:42:24Z")
Shit I never read the OP of a poll, I just vote. It’s a bad habit. My answer is incorrect. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-sex-partners-per-year-have-you-had/518441/11 "2009-11-21T21:52:42Z")
Whoops. Didn’t read the poll before voting. You might want to ask a mod to append “per year” to your thread title. The correct answer for me is 1-2, but I put 6+. ---
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-sex-partners-per-year-have-you-had/518441/12 "2009-11-21T21:56:48Z")
Thanks for pointing that out. I’ve reported it. ---
**Author:** ![sunstone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunstone/32/3372_2.png) [@sunstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunstone)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-sex-partners-per-year-have-you-had/518441/13 "2009-11-22T00:18:49Z")
Let me see…one partner ever in almost 50 years. (Apparently I’m not very attractive.) Oh wait, I’ve been married to her for 45 years. Not quite what the poll demonstrates. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-sex-partners-per-year-have-you-had/518441/14 "2009-11-22T00:42:08Z")
Six in 11 years. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-sex-partners-per-year-have-you-had/518441/15 "2009-11-22T00:53:30Z")
It probably works out to around 10 per year as an average. (counting from the time I was 17) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-sex-partners-per-year-have-you-had/518441/16 "2009-11-22T02:36:00Z")
I’m wondering if this would work better if we were told to discount periods during which we were married (or in monogamous relationships to partners we would have married, for our gay friends). ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-sex-partners-per-year-have-you-had/518441/17 "2009-11-22T03:09:09Z")
I’m pretty sure this would be a more interesting poll if you used a logarithmic scale. The difference between, say, 0.5 and 1 is a lot bigger than that between 5 and 6. ---
**Author:** ![BigBertha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@BigBertha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigBertha)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-sex-partners-per-year-have-you-had/518441/18 "2009-11-22T04:03:27Z")
Lost virginity age 26. Have had 6 partners. Am 50. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-sex-partners-per-year-have-you-had/518441/19 "2009-11-22T04:34:50Z")
0.05 (1 in 20) ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2009, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-sex-partners-per-year-have-you-had/518441/20 "2009-11-22T05:15:36Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Well over 6. I had years in my 20s that the number was at least 50 per year. I really don’t know what to answer. I had years from my teens 'til age 24 when I lost count. Since that time, however, I have had only 4 sex partners. I’ll be 50 in February. So, for about 10 years, the number is probably \>6 per year. Then for the next 26 years, the number is 0.15 per year. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-sex-partners-per-year-have-you-had/518441.md?page=2)