All About You

How Much Sex Is Enough?

Dec 03 12:00am
We spoke to two women in long-term relationships who rate the importance of lovemaking very differently.

How much sex is enough?

Office manager Kelly-Lee Ambrose, 35, has sex with John Freeman, 32, her partner of three years, every two days.

I've always had a large sexual appetite. My parents divorced when I was a teenager, and I remember overhearing my mum telling her sister that at least she wouldn't have to have sex every day. Apparently, my dad had a voracious libido, so I've put mine down to genetics.

When I first started seeing John we had sex at least every day, but unlike many of my previous relationships, where the sex gradually reduced after the first year, that has never changed. One of the things I love most about John is that he enjoys sexual experimentation, which means our sex life is always evolving. I can't think of anything worse than having predictable sex.

We both have wild sexual imaginations, and we're as likely to have quick, dirty sex over the kitchen bench or in front of the bedroom mirror, as we are to indulge in bondage or a long, languorous lovemaking session. I classify sex as anything from intercourse to oral sex.

John tells me his friends complain about not getting enough sex and that many of them have to beg their partners for it. That's not the case in our relationship. The longest period we haven't had sex for was about a week when I was ill with the flu.

Our physical attraction is the glue that keeps us together. When things are tough, the fact that we fancy each other draws us back together and allows us to connect emotionally again. Sometimes, I even have sex when I'm not in the mood because I know it will make me feel better.

Advertising executive Danielle Lloyd, 34, has sex with Gary, 35, her husband of three years, every couple of weeks.

I don't feel the need to be at it like rabbits to prove Gary and I are in a great relationship. I think there's a common misconception that relationships are only valid as long as you're constantly having wild, passionate sex. But that idea can be very damaging to a relationship, especially for people with low libidos.

After four years together, sex isn't particularly high on our agenda. Of course, when Gary and I first met, we made love all the time. But we were never one of those four-times-a-night couples; I've always preferred to have sex once and then spend the night cuddling. Besides, we both work really hard during the week and usually spend the weekends renovating our house.

That isn't to say I don't fancy my husband; I still look at him and feel lust and passion, but I don't feel the need to rip off his clothes at every opportunity.

For me, sex is just part of the bigger picture, rather than the prime motivator in a relationship. I married Gary because I found somebody who was honest, and loved me despite my faults.

I know women who talk constantly about their sex lives, but it often seems as though they're just trying to prove how sexy they are. The fact that Gary and I love each other deeply is what keeps us together. There's an understanding: we are committed to making a life together and we honour that commitment by making love every couple of weeks.

It's not as though we don't have sex; we do - and I orgasm every time. I'm at ease with our sex life. Once we decide to have children, we'll probably step it up a gear ... I refuse to get paranoid about how often we have sex.

Photo: Lev Dolgatshjov/iStockphoto.com

How important do you think sex is in a relationship? Tell us what you think below.



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74 Comments Report Abuse
1. top_loaderau - Dec 04 08:29am
Danielle, I'm sure your husband has sex a whole lot more than you think, you may only be having sex once in a few weeks, but your husband will be taking matters into his own hands, literaly
2. yoozkuntz - Dec 04 08:36am
Our sex was great when we were young, but with age it has slowly declined.
3. yoozkuntz - Dec 04 08:37am
But I'm working on it !! Next week maybe ??
4. garth_adams_mail - Dec 04 09:00am
Sex, going to the toilet and dying are all the same - they should be done quietly, without fuss ...........and preferably alone.
5. swanfella - Dec 04 09:03am
SEX IS THE BEST FUN U HAVE WITHOUT LAUGHING
6. hgedw89 - Dec 04 09:10am
"But we were never one of those four-times-a-night couples; I've always preferred to have sex once and then spend the night cuddling."
Hahahaha, that is all I have to say.
7. hgedw89 - Dec 04 09:11am
Sex is the most important thing of all.
8. mshelen@y7mail.com - Dec 04 09:29am
i love it. trouble is i never seem to get enough. not with a man anyhow. they just roll over and go to sleep. yea girls.
9. bigozkenny - Dec 04 09:42am
Geez that's heaps. Been over a year now, I must be doing something right. Oh I have been married for 20 Yrs. Wife not interested, anymore.
10. t.e321 - Dec 04 09:50am
"top_loaderau"-what makes you think every man is a cheater? I've been with my hubby for 10yrs now and yes we used to have sex all the time every night now not so much- doesn't mean he's getting it else where. And doesn't mean there is anything.
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