How often it's normal “to have sex if you're married

When couples join for the first time, there is often a period of high sexual frequency due to the initial excitement of a new relationship, says sex therapist Ian Kerner, Ph.D., author of “So Tell Me About the Last Time You Had Sex”

In time, however, innovations naturally flow, and sexual frequency may drop as people become their natural lust, which may not match. If your sex life isn't what it was, you can find yourself scratching your head and ask yourself: How often do married couples have sex?

For some, a natural lust may be the desire to have sex every day or sometimes a week, while for others it may be several times a month or less. People's desire for sex can also be shaken by factors such as stress, sleep, medication, diet, and exercise. If you and your partner are facing a disagreement between sexual desires, that does not mean that your sex life is condemned, Kerner says. Even if you're in a non-sexual relationship “When couples do not remember the last time they had sex or have less than 10 times a year, says Kerner, there is still hope.

According to a 2017 study by Archives of Sexual Behavior, an average married American couple engage in sex 56 times a year, which is about once a week. Experts in TIME and Privacy cite similar figures, 51 and 52 times annually respectively. /Periscope/