Posted: February 3, 2016 Contributor: PRJKT RUBY

STUDY: The Key to Having Sex More Regularly – Birth Control?

Being married, or in a long term relationship, doesn’t have to be the end of your sex life. All too often we hear jokes, watch movies and TV and read magazine articles that tell us sexual activity dies down with commitment over time…well birth control users rejoice! A new study shows that you are three times more likely to have regular sex when you are on the pill!

A research study looked at the self reported sexual activity of women in 47 countries and found many interesting trends. The first, 90% of women using contraception had sex in the last four weeks. By contrast, those living with partners not using contraception, the percentage went down to 72%.  The largest group of women having sex regularly are well educated women ranging in age between 20 and 29. In addition, those who fall into this age group and would like to have children in the next 2 years are also more likely to engage in intercourse with their partner on a regular basis.

So what’s the correlation? Researchers involved in the study suggested that perhaps those not using contraception were withholding from having sex in order to reduce the risk of pregnancy from occurring. From a health perspective, however, withholding from sex can have a negative impact from both a personal and relationship standpoint.

Experts point out that for women to enjoy and relax in their sexual experiences they need to be able to separate sex from childbearing – this is essentially what contraception does.

Of course this may seem counter-intuitive when you often hear one of the common side effects of oral contraceptives is lack of sex drive. For some women, however, this side effect never exists and for others, perhaps the ability to have sex without fear of pregnancy is benefit enough to relax and enjoy the experience.

Prior to easily accessible birth control, birth rates in the U.S. as well Europe were declining. This was due to the fact that many couples practiced abstinence or withdrawal.

Today, we have the opportunity to embrace our sexual health without the fear of potential childbirth resting over our heads. With so many contraceptive options available, there is bound to be something for everyone, Maintaining a healthy sex life is not only beneficial for emotional health but also for physical health, when safe sex is practiced.