Besides having a “depressed” vag!na if you stay off s.ex, a new condition called vag!nal atrophy may also befall you.
According to the Mayo Clinic, it is a common but treatable condition that many women experience at some point in their lives.
And while it can be a problem for women of any age, it is more likely to affect women who are going through, or have been through menopause.
It is caused by the thinning and drying of the vag!nal walls due to the body having less oestrogen than normal.
It can also occur in women who have had treatment for cancer or hormone treatment for b’reast cancer.
Common side effects include discharge, burning, itching, difficulty peeing and pain during s*x.
But regular 0rgasms, from your partner or a bit of self love, can actually improve the nasty symptoms.
The key is the increased blood flow to your nether regions which also happens when you climax, almost like “exercising” down there.
Louise Mazanti, a London-based s*x therapist, said:
It is very important that we have a healthy s*x life with a partner or with ourselves.
People very often say, ‘I don’t have a s*x life because I don’t have a partner’.
But forget about that and have a s*xual relationship with yourself.
It is about using massage and touching the tissue so that it becomes alive, the blood flows and the tissue becomes elastic.
It is really about exercising the tissue.
Increasing blood flow helps keep the tissue around the vag!nal wall healthy, which means it is less likely to become inflamed, thin or dry.
It makes sure enough oxygen gets to the cells in the tissue.
If the cells are not getting enough oxygen they cannot eliminate toxins and waste from the tissue, which can cause inflammation that leads to problems such as vag!nal atrophy.
A build-up of toxins can also stop vital nutrients getting to the cells, which can leave the tissue slightly weaker and, therefore, thinner.
Louise said losing the ability to have s*x is not just a physical problem, it can have some serious side effects for a person’s mental health.
When your ability to have s*x and your desire to have s*x decreases it is a massive change in identity. You start to question ‘who am I now if I am not the s*xual woman I used to be?’
It can cause depression and an identity crisis and deep consideration of an existential nature.