# What are the adverse effects of not having sex? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 10, 2009, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-adverse-effects-of-not-having-sex/485275 "2009-02-10T20:51:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-adverse-effects-of-not-having-sex/485275/41 "2009-02-11T18:04:43Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I have read that men can have prostate problems if they don’t ejaculate, but I don’t think it matters whether it’s masturbation or intercourse. Of course I remember getting blueballs when I was a teenager and, not knowing the simple remedy, thinking I was bloody dying. > > People with active sex lives (especially in a devoted relationship) tend to live longer. I think much of this is the human interaction however. Sex isn’t that great as exercise after all- better than being totally sedentary but nothing like regular cardio in its benefits. People in religious orders also tend to live longer, but it isn’t because the convent is orgy central. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-adverse-effects-of-not-having-sex/485275/42 "2009-02-11T18:08:25Z")
Have you ever been celibate for extended periods of time? I have, and it sucks. That may or may not be an ‘adverse effect’, but you’re going to have a hard time convincing someone that abstinence is preferable. Sex is definitely better than no sex. I don’t see how anybody could argue otherwise. The burden of proof is on those who argue that virginity, abstinence and celibacy are virtues. They are not. At best they are neutral. ---
**Author:** ![rivulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rivulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rivulus)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-adverse-effects-of-not-having-sex/485275/43 "2009-02-11T18:28:40Z")
Have you ever been celibate for extended periods of time? I have, and it wasn’t any big deal. I was busy with other things and poured my creative energies into other outlets. The only negative effect I experienced was the social pressure to HAVE SEX already. When left to my own devices, I didn’t experience any other adverse effects. I currently have a pretty decently active sex life and a fulfilling partnership now, by the way, so I’m not some sexless, frigid freak – in case anyone was wondering. 😉 Is is _better_ now that I’m having sex? Ummm… I can’t really say. I’m in a different phase of my life, with different interests. So, I guess one could say “it varies.” ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-adverse-effects-of-not-having-sex/485275/44 "2009-02-11T18:30:51Z")
Isn’t it true that if “you don’t use it, you lose it.” ? ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-adverse-effects-of-not-having-sex/485275/45 "2009-02-11T18:39:15Z")
I haven’t had sex or an orgasm for over 12 years. I used to miss it a lot, but I’ve since forgotten what it felt like. I don’t think it’s driven me crazy, but how would I know? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-adverse-effects-of-not-having-sex/485275/46 "2009-02-11T18:53:16Z")
> [@Sacrilegium](#): > > Now I’m curious - what about people who can no longer reach orgasm or have “traditional” sex because of genital injuries? How do they cope with the lack of it? Does the drive tend to go away eventually? It is very difficult for me to reach orgasm due to an injury. To add to that condition, I am being treated for severe depression (not due to lack of sex) and some of the medication causes a certain loss of sensation. Plus, I’m 68 and one has to expect a somewhat diminished performance ability as one ages. But, in my case at least, the drive has not disappeared but the ability to reach orgasm has greatly diminished. I’m lucky in that I have a very understanding wife. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-adverse-effects-of-not-having-sex/485275/47 "2009-02-11T19:15:05Z")
> [@LouisB](#): > > I’m 68 and one has to expect a somewhat diminished performance ability as one ages. But, in my case at least, the drive has not disappeared but the ability to reach orgasm has greatly diminished. A guy I know, about your age, says in a very comic way > [@](#): > > \*\* Oh Lord! Since you have taken away the ability why don’t you also take away the desire?\*\* [sub]Loosely translated from the original in Spanish.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-adverse-effects-of-not-having-sex/485275/48 "2009-02-11T19:42:50Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > Have you ever been celibate for extended periods of time? Yes, I have, and I have not suffered anything as a result. That’s part of what prompted this thread. > [@](#): > > Sex is definitely better than no sex. I don’t see how anybody could argue otherwise. I would certainly argue against the claim that “sex is definitely better”. Obviously in some cases sex can lead to unwanted pregnancies, disease, psychological issues and other problems. In other cases sex is great. In the end, however, there’s no justification for saying that having sex is necessary for good health. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-adverse-effects-of-not-having-sex/485275/49 "2009-02-11T20:35:23Z")
> [@ITR\_champion](#): > > Yes, I have, and I have not suffered anything as a result. That’s part of what prompted this thread. I would argue that the lack of sex itself is an adverse effect that one suffers. If you can go from sex to no sex without missing it, it must not have been very good. YMMV and all that. > [@](#): > > I would certainly argue against the claim that “sex is definitely better”. Obviously in some cases sex can lead to unwanted pregnancies, disease, psychological issues and other problems. In other cases sex is great. In the end, however, there’s no justification for saying that having sex is necessary for good health. Well, I agree with you that sex _can_ lead to pregnancy and STDs and also that there are no deleterious effects on one’s health from being abstinent. However, responsible sex with someone you know and trust is safer than pretty much any other daily activity average people engage in, including showering and watching tv. Plus you get a little exercise, too. Ultimately, though, I just came in this thread to challenge the complementary view: What are the benefits of virginity and celibacy? I’m talking about celibacy for celibacy’s sake, not just waiting until the right person comes along. I don’t think celibacy is something people should particularly encourage, and the ones encouraging it usually tend to view an active sex life as a bad thing. In short, it may not harm you to abstain from sex, but I see no reason to prefer a sexless life. ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-adverse-effects-of-not-having-sex/485275/50 "2009-02-11T20:36:21Z")
I suppose it probably depends upon the person. Some people apparently find it pretty difficult to go without sex for any long period of time. For others, it’s an easy thing to lose that won’t be missed. I don’t think it makes sense to assume that one’s own sexual drive and needs are going to be reflected exactly by other people. That said, I don’t know of any significant negative physical effects. It seems to be more in the line of mental ones, and we can’t generalise so easily on that particular point. ---
**Author:** ![New\_Beginning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@New\_Beginning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Beginning)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-adverse-effects-of-not-having-sex/485275/51 "2009-02-12T00:08:09Z")
> [@ITR\_champion](#): > > I would certainly argue against the claim that “sex is definitely better”. Obviously in some cases sex can lead to unwanted pregnancies, disease, psychological issues and other problems. In other cases sex is great. In the end, however, there’s no justification for saying that having sex is necessary for good health. There is no doubt that some people can go without sex and live great fulfilling lives. But to say that, in the general case, “there’s no justification for saying that having sex is necessary for good health” is a bit lopsided. Everybody has sex. There’s a reason. Lack of sex causes _almost everyone_ to want sex (even if we don’t allow for any other negative health reprucussions). Also, your inclusion of STDs and unwanted pregnancies really doesn’t belong in this discussion as it has been taking place up until this last post of yours. These are not large factors to responsible people. If you are responsible enough to abstain from sex, surely you are responsible enough to use a condom? You also mention psychological issues… Psychological issues (and likely social issues) coming from artificially imposed abstienence are obvious risks, so including psychological issues is a bad potential side effect of sex is absurd. BTW, I am someone who didn’t have sex until my mid twenties. I’m not claiming that I couldn’t have lived a happy life without sex, but it would have been necessarily limited in particular respects. This is not to put down those who choose to abstain, but it’s not “cultural pressure” that drives 99.999% of us to have sex throughout our lives. The idea that there might be some (at least psychological) health risks to totally abstaining from our #1 biological prime directive is pretty reasonable. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-adverse-effects-of-not-having-sex/485275/52 "2009-02-12T00:19:31Z")
Men can experience pain and discomfort due to abstinence, can’t they? I’d call that adverse, even if it’s temporary and doesn’t cause any actual lasting damage. ---
**Author:** ![Caveat\_lector\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@Caveat\_lector\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caveat_lector_1)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-adverse-effects-of-not-having-sex/485275/53 "2009-02-12T02:32:45Z")
I’ve never experienced any. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-adverse-effects-of-not-having-sex/485275/54 "2009-02-12T02:39:14Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Men can experience pain and discomfort due to abstinence, can’t they? I’d call that adverse, even if it’s temporary and doesn’t cause any actual lasting damage. But that can be alleviated with masturbation. And women feel pain and discomfort as well. (Well, this woman does!) ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-adverse-effects-of-not-having-sex/485275/55 "2009-02-12T05:33:20Z")
So long as your only referring to _voluntarily_ abstaining from it, then I’d agree there’s little real physical _or_ psychological damage to be done. I include psychological because I feel that it would be a self-regulating thing, i.e. once abstaining started to cause noticeably detrimental emotional effects (more detrimental than _having_ sex may have caused) a normal person would no longer abstain. As far as it being **not** voluntary, I think its obvious that it would cause huge emotional problems, which would cause psychological ones, which in turn can and, I think would, cause physiological ones as well. The link between mental and physical health is pretty well established, its just impossible to accurately predict. To open a whole can of worms, Google involuntary celibacy… ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-adverse-effects-of-not-having-sex/485275/56 "2009-02-12T22:49:47Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > But that can be alleviated with masturbation. And women feel pain and discomfort as well. (Well, this woman does!) I thought we were counting masturbation as sex in the context of this question - excluding it does seem completely self-defeating - the genitals don’t really know or care what it is that’s stimulating them. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-adverse-effects-of-not-having-sex/485275/57 "2009-02-12T23:01:48Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I thought we were counting masturbation as sex in the context of this question - excluding it does seem completely self-defeating - the genitals don’t really know or care what it is that’s stimulating them. Ah, fair enough. I was reading “abstinence” as abstaining from intercourse with another person, not as abstaining from any kind of stimulation. Yes, in that case, blue balls (or…blue…uh, lips?) is definitely an issue. ---
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-adverse-effects-of-not-having-sex/485275/58 "2009-02-13T08:10:55Z")
> [@Revenant\_Threshold](#): > > I suppose it probably depends upon the person. Some people apparently find it pretty difficult to go without sex for any long period of time. My old roommate used to cry if he didn’t get laid for more than a week (usually his own damn fault after he got caught cheating on his GF upteen times). :rolleyes: I guess the adverse effects highly depend on how much value you put into it. I haven’t gotten laid in over a year and still have a chick I have to regularly turn down. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-adverse-effects-of-not-having-sex/485275.md?page=2)