Expert explains what happens to your body and mind if you stop having sex

An expert has shared what can happen to your body if you don't have sex for an extended period.

Many people might experience a dry spell at some point in their life, whether it's intentional or they're just down on their luck when it comes to the trials and tribulations of sex and relationships.

But while being stuck in a dry spell despite one's best efforts can be dispiriting and frustrating if you're actively trying to get laid, there are also physical effects on your body as well if you go for an extended period without dancing the horizontal tango.

Of course, it may also be that someone is choosing to abstain from sex as well, perhaps for religious reasons, or maybe because they're just not actually interested, which are of course just as valid.

Having sex can be good for your mental and physical health (Getty Stock)

Dr Ali Novitsky is a obstetrician who founded Exercising Intimacy, which helps couples to strengthen their connection via the bedroom.

She told The Telegraph: “Abstaining from sexual activity can have a variety of effects on individuals, both physically and emotionally.

“One of the most immediate effects might be a change in the individual’s hormone levels. Regular sexual activity is known to boost the levels of certain hormones, like oxytocin and endorphins, which are associated with feelings of happiness and reduced stress.

"Therefore, abstaining from sex may potentially lead to decreased levels of these hormones.”

So, you might also find that you have a change in the levels of your hormones, and if you have a vagina then you might even experience vaginal pain.

People may not be sexually active for a variety of reasons (Getty Stock)

A study published in the European Journal of Preventative Cardiology even suggested that sex around 52 times a year, so around once a week, correlated with a drop of some 10 percent in mortality associated with heart disease, and 44 percent drop in mortality not connected to heart disease, so it's good for your health.

On the other hand though, you're considerably less susceptible to picking up something that makes things down there get a bit red and itchy if you're not sexually active, so it's all swings and roundabouts.

A study published by YouGov found that around 30 percent of people in the UK claimed to be sexually inactive.

This included around 20 percent of people aged between 40 and 44, which increased to 57 percent in people aged 74.

If you are having regular sex as well, this can help to manage stress, as well as being a source of exercise, though the number of calories you burn might depend on the position.