You'll be shocked at what a lack of sex will do to your body

You lose your libido

According to Sari Cooper, a certified sex therapist, some people who refrain from sex begin to feel more sluggish, with an overall diminishing vitality and hunger for sex on a long-term basis.

You become 'down' 

A lack of physical contact can leave some people feeling seriously 'down in the dumps.' 

'When people have sex they’re usually having skin-to-skin contact, and this kind of contact is the first primal way we as humans get comforted [as babies with our mothers],' Mr Cooper told The Sun. 'Sexual connection give partners loads of skin-to-skin caressing and touch, and can help to regulate one another’s moods.'

However, studies have suggested a lack of sexual activity is not going to cause clinical depression.

Your vaginal walls weaken 

If you radically reduce the amount of sex you have as you get older, the walls of your vagina thin out and can lead to painful sex when you finally get back into the sack.

As a result, the North American Menopause Society has recommended having regular penetrative sex to help vaginal health during menopause.

You can lose lubrication

If it's been a while since you last did the deed, the vagina can struggle to lubricate itself when you start having sex again. 

Dr Lauren Streicher, author of Sex Rx: Hormones, Health, and Your Best Sex Ever, explained: 'If you take a young woman who’s 20 or 30 years old she’s going to have plenty of oestrogen around to make sure those tissues stay healthy, elastic, and lubricated when she’s not having sex.'

'If you take someone who’s 60 and has no oestrogen, she has lost that piece of it.'

Your period pain can get worse

Strangely, if you have sex on your period the cramps you experience can lessen. 

Dr. Streicher says: 'The uterus is a muscle and many women will actually have a uterine contraction when they orgasm, which will cause the blood to expel more quickly, which will in turn decrease menstrual cramps.

'Also, there may be an increase in endorphins, which also will help with menstrual cramps.' 

You could feel more stressed

For some people, having sex is a major way to reduce stress. If you're one of those people, not having sex could actually increase your stress levels. 

But it’s not the same for everyone, as Dr. Streicher pointed out that for some women, 'sex is actually stressful for a variety of reasons: It may be painful, or it could be one more thing on their to-do list.'