Sex & Romance
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Do you have higher sex drive than your husband?

I never thought that when I got married my husband wouldn't be able to meet my needs. You always hear about women who say no on a regular basis but I figured that men are always ready to go.

Sometimes he just can't because of stress. But I'm starting to think our biggest problem is that when it's prime time for me it's his lull. Does anyone have this problem or just mismatched libidos? How do you deal? (Masturbation is not an option for me it weirds me out)

It hurts my self esteem to be turned down so often even though I know it's not meant in that way. 

imageGraphics In a world of crazy we need as many hugs as we can get.
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Re: Do you have higher sex drive than your husband?

  • "It hurts my self esteem to be turned down so often even though I know it's not meant in that way." I agree completely with this statement. I feel the exact same way. 

    I too am in this situation with my husband. I would love advice as well. Also, I seen your sticker, Is your husband an airman? 

  • Me too!  We are never in sync and I am ALWAYS the one who get things started.  It is so comforting to know I am not the only one out there!
    Anniversary
  • My husband and I have struggled with this for the entire 6 years of our marriage.  He just isn't a guy who needs a lot of sex. The best advice I have is to talk openly about what turns each other on and then use that. A lot of times when one of us isn't in the mood we know how to turn each other on and are excited that the other one made the effort. Also I realized that my half hearted attempts at sex were really making it worse. I didn't want to give a 100% effort for fear of rejection so I was timid, a major turn off for him. We had to have several really hard talks about it and now we are at a great understanding of one another.

     

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  • We compromise. I'd like sex probably 5-6 times a week, and he's okay with 2-3. We meet in the middle at about 4.

    But I talked to him about it. I flat-out said - when we weren't in bed, mind - that I wanted to have more sex than we were, and asked him what he'd be comfortable with. Yes, I initiate a lot, but in general, he doesn't turn me down very often because we had that conversation and I don't pester.

      

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  • Aside from all of that, You may want to have him tested for low testerone. I know a couple of people whose husbands had no sex drive what so ever and its was their levels.
  • I'm with you girls.  I too am glad to know I'm not the only one out there that feels this way!  We've been married 1 year on Sunday, and have struggled with this very problem.  For us it's like a roller coaster sometimes we're ok, sometimes we can go weeks with out anything.  Drives me crazy!
  • Yes! And I agree with everything you wrote!

    I was very suprised today when DH wanted sex today, not once, but twice! That never happens. If I want to get some lovin' it's always me who has to act. He doesn't seem to have a high sex drive at all. I don't know why this happens to some men. I always thought they were up for nookie anytime! 

    Good luck and I hope you get some tonight! Big Smile

    My DH is starting to think that he has low testosterone. Which could completely be why he's not feeling like having sex much.

    Check out the link on low testosterone and see if this sounds like any of your hubby's issues:

     http://www.medicinenet.com/low_testosterone/article.htm

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  • Totally there with you!  My Dh goes away for 3 weeks to work on a ship in NY and when he is home I want to make up for lost time if you know what I mean.  I masturbate often and that helps, but then it is hard for me to get off when we do the deed b/c I am so used to just doing it myself!  We talk about it a lot and just stay open about the issue.  I am about to have a baby so we will see how that affects things.  At some point I want him to get tested for the low testosterone.
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  • Masturbation weirds you out?  That's a new one...

     

  • imageGeorgeAndWeezy:

    Masturbation weirds you out?  That's a new one...

     

     

    I've tried it and beyond the psychological barriers there's also the mechanics of it that pose a problem. I sort of lose control when I get close to the big O and I can't finish by myself. I find toys intimidating.

    It looks like at some point I will have to get over these issues though. It will happen in my own time.

     

    To all the other ladies,

    It's nice to know I'm not the only one who deals with this. Some how that helps a little. 

    imageGraphics In a world of crazy we need as many hugs as we can get.
  • if you did play with yourself even just a little I bet your guy would be INSTANTLY turned on ;)
  • Hallelujiah!!!!!!

    My girls! I am relieved to find real women who share my pain and sorrows. We should have a live meeting and have the women who have dealt with this the longest and have overcome it help us get through this! One day...

    It amazes me how we all feel the same about this unexpected turn of events. I know it will take some time for us newbies to adjust, but it's downright heartbreaking. I've made it a point to take a little bit from each suggestion I read and act on them until they fit for us.

    It does help to talk about it and try to understand, yet that doesn't solve the problem soon enough. This leaves me screaming "What gives?" quite often.

    We all should stick together and seriously try to develop a support group, because it's hard to find women who share this problem. How can we get through the stresses of marriage if all the other boards are directed to the cookie cutter relationships?

    Please ladies, email me. I really think we should do something.

    ajohnson723@hotmail.com

  • DH and I had our talk AGAIN. He's going to see a doctor and find out if it's something physical. We both felt a lot better afterwards and I got a little shower nookie the next day. So I should be able to maintain sanity for about a week. Now I'm just crossing my fingers that we can see some progress long term.

     I think it's kind of sad that we all feel so alone in this. It seriously helps just knowing that I'm not the only one. We go through our lives feeling this way about all sorts of stuff and we forget that others only seem normal. When we ask how someone is, it's easier for them to just say 'just fine' or 'great.' We've reduced our selves to small talk in the real world and lack personal connections because we're all too busy or worried about what everyone will think about our "secrets." It turns out that they aren't such big secrets because we aren't the first or the last to have this problem.

    imageGraphics In a world of crazy we need as many hugs as we can get.
  • A must read:  The Sex-Starved Wife by Michelle Weiner Davis (she also wrote the Sex-Starved Marriage but I thought the one specifically to the wife was talking me!)

     

    I cannot say how much it has helped me not be so angry and frustrated!!

     

     

  • imagecrysperry:
    if you did play with yourself even just a little I bet your guy would be INSTANTLY turned on ;)

     

    YES this is definitely a win.  Try it and I bet you get some in 30 seconds or less. 

  • Yes, sometimes I want sex more than my husband. I just try to understand when he isnt in the mood and he tries to understand when I am not.
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  • I hear you girl. My husband is always too tired for sex and I feel so bummed. We have talked about it and we have come to the conclusion that it is his job. Before this current job there wasn't any problems, we couldn't get enough of each other. He has a job where things are always stressful because the managers just treat their employees horrible. he is looking for a new job so I really hope this changes things.
  • So thankful for this board, it feels so much better to know I'm not alone.  I feel kind of like an ungrateful jerk staying so upset over it, especially since my DH is such a great husband in so many other aspects.  I know I have a great guy, but it still does not make the feeling of rejection and heartbreak hurt any less.  I've had a friend tell me to use my vibrator, and that would be great if I just wanted to get off, but it's not about that.  I want my husband to want to have sex with me, and no piece of plastic with batteries is going to fix that.  Thank you everyone, for sharing your feelings, it's nice to identify with others in my boat.   

  • imagetollammt:
    I'm with you girls.  I too am glad to know I'm not the only one out there that feels this way!  We've been married 1 year on Sunday, and have struggled with this very problem.  For us it's like a roller coaster sometimes we're ok, sometimes we can go weeks with out anything.  Drives me crazy!

    We sound exactly the same... sad...

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  • Ugh, I have the same problem!!  It drives me crazy!  And yes, it's a double standard, but I feel like he should always be ready to go and wanting it, and it makes me feel like there's something wrong with me!!  As far as the masturbation, try lying under the bathtub faucet.  No toys, no hands, just water pressure.  :-)
  • Wow, there are a lot of women with the same problem! I'm there... and it is soooo frustrating. I agree with those who say they always thought it was the man who wanted it all the time and it was the women who turned them down. I thought that too!!!! My fiance thinks i'm sex craved...I tell him maybe I wouldn't be if he threw me a bone every once in a while! It does do a number on the self esteem and self respect when you are being denied all the time.

     

    With my situation, I was always the initiator, but even then he'd only give in maybe 25% of the time. He has maybe initiated once or twice in the 4 years we've been together. I'm only 24, and he was the one I lost my virginity to, so for the first 2-3 years I thought what was happening was normal... that me being frustrated was my problem, and I had something wrong with me. Then I finally started talking to friends about that, and they said, nope!! Its not a healthy sex life to have sex only once a month or once every other month. But thats what he told me, was that it was fine.

     

    I masturbate like the world is going to end, and he masterbates too when i'm not home, and that pisses me off. I feel like he'd rather masturbate then be with me. Anyway thats a tangent. 

     

    long story short.... i definitely feel your pain....

  • My husband and I have been married for 2 months now but been together for almost 3 1/2 years. He has always had a low libido and that really bothered me the first year we were together. After talking about it we have both been able to get through it. I still have a big sex drive and he still has almost none but we at least try to have sex once a week, unfortunately that is usually the same time, same way, everyweek. It gets a little frustrating but we try to mix it up a little sometimes. Once we get insurance we are going to test him for low testosterone.
    Anniversary
  • My husband and I we've been married for 10 years and I have the same situation my husband does not be in the mood, this have been going on for the last 8 years. I thoughtI was alone,I was ashamed,it was very embarassing. but also, I do have a very high sex drive. in the beginning of our marriage the first few years we were like rabbits.now he so relaxed, I go to work when I come home he go to work and he get 2 days off. but he would watch tv, on the computer,or playing ps3 its so fustrating.we talked about it he would say it gonna get better I promise. but nothing so when I go to him then I feel bad because now I  feel like I'm pressing him or begging. and I feel so silly I say I'm the woman why do I have to beg for sex. man, I thought I was so alone. and let me tell you alot of the time I would cry myself to sleep. one, I don't want to masturbate. why, I have a penis in the house. but thank-you for sharing you'll stories it really do help and I do agree with the other writer we need to have a support group.

  • So I'm lying in bed listening to my husbands snores, horny as all hell and can't sleep because all I can think about is sex. I know my husband is tired from work and stressed about bills and my brain tells me that that is the reason but I feel like its because he's bored with me. I feel so cheated. Before we got married he talked liked we were always going to be having sex so I didn't worry about our sex life but I feel like he lied to me. And I feel like a jerk for wanting more than he can give but at the same time I always give him what he needs even when I really don't want to have sex. And it pisses me off because sometimes I'm not able to get there right away and he is so I let him or I pleasure him but it never seems to go the other way. I even had a dream about an ex orally pleasuring even though I have never been with anyone other than my husband and even though I never even kissed the guy I dreamt about! I hate that I feel like he would be more willing to take care of my need even more than my own husband. I'm so frustrated. Emotionally. Sexually. And it sucks because it's like sometimes I just need him to help me out a bit(his choice how!) but it feels like he won't even make the effort to learn how I like it. I hate feeling selfish because I want more. And I'm pissed because I've read that belly fat turns testosterone into estrogen and I'm pretty sure his beer habit is not helping an evn though he has agreed to stop for a bit he hasn't...sigh ok...just had to get that out there...I'm glad I'm not the only one experiencing this and I think i might buy that book as a subtle intro to the conversation...gonna see if I can take advantage of my sleeping husband now...
  • Hey ladies,
    You have no clue just how good it feels to know that I am not alone. We've been married for 2 months and it really hurts me so much that he doesn't want sex with me. I know that its just his preference but it feels almost as if I'm no longer attractive enough for him. I just wish I was one of those ladies who has to beg their men to lay off. Hahaha!

  • It was like that for us in the beginning, I wanted it more than he did. It was just so exciting and new. Now we're both on the same page. If anything we get horny at different times. When he is, I'm not, when I am he's not. Or something else gets in the way, like it's too hot or we're too tired. 

    I do still masturbate from time to time, it just feels better for me. My husband masturbates too, but not as often. I probably do it like once a week and he probably once a month. We have sex about once every 2 weeks. 

    Have you tried to get his attention? I notice that I make my husband horny by just dressing like a slob. I come home from work and put on a tank top and pajama shorts. He finds that sexy for some reason. So try to find what works for him. Maybe it's just simply you walking around naked or maybe some sexy lingerie. Oh, and not wearing a bra under a soft shirt works too, my husband loves that ;) I don't even bother getting sexy lingerie anymore since he takes the bra off while I'm still wearing my shirt. 
  • krissybegskrissybegs member
    Tenth Anniversary 10 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited September 2013

    Thank you for this thread. As I am writing this, it has been more than 7 weeks since we have had sex. I stopped asking for it at 5 weeks because I couldn't take anymore rejection.

    We have had numerous conversations about this and, like many of you, he says that he will try harder but it never gets any better. I am at a loss.

    TTC since 10/06 - Went to RE after 6 months of TTC due to AMA -Diagnosed with MIF 5/07, only option IVF with ICSI - IVF #1 cancelled due to cyst, never got to ER - IVF #1.5 10/07, BFP - Robert Andrew born 7/30/08 Lilypie Kids Birthday tickers
  • This very issue is one of the reasons why my husband and I are separated, very separated. In just about every relationship I've been in I have been the sexual aggressor and I feel like I have been lied to by those who told me that I would be the one having to stop his advances. My first boyfriend would try to break up with me every time we took it to a new level physically and a lot of the stuff we tried was my idea. In all those sexual purity classes and retreats they never talked about how much I would want it. I have been experimenting with pleasing myself sexually since I was probably 11 or 12 but had no idea that what I was doing was masturbating for years. In my relationship with my husband I did everything I could think of to arouse him but he has an extremely low sex drive (allegedly has only masturbated a handful of times and not into porn really at all.) 

    Despite begging and pleading we just weren't doing it enough or well enough. I think that part of the problem was that we would finish a lot of times without me being finished so the libido was just building. How is a woman supposed to feel sexy when she can't get a rise out of her man? How is she supposed to deal with the fact that he is unwilling to do anything about it? I know that low testosterone was probably one issue, lack of sexual confidence, bad job and all sorts of other factors were at play. I looked into it all but he was unwilling to even do a simple Google search or brows the few books that I bought. 

    I really appreciate all of you sharing your stories, its nice to know that I'm not some sort of freak, that I am normal even if I'm not average. I know your pain, I know how it feels to spend the whole day wanting it and cooking his favorite dinner, letting him have his wind down time, putting on that sexy outfit and still taking second place to the video game or the hobby or the tv. I've been there lying on the bed in the lingerie and stilettos crying feeling like you are some sort of depraved creature for wanting to have sex, feeling guilty for nagging and begging, plotting and planing and still coming up empty. Then of course there is the sex that finally comes where he has been guilt-ed into it and you are not in the mood anymore but go through with it anyway cuz hey who knows when it might happen next. The anger that I'm supposed to be a good wife and deal with it when he has an erection even if I'm not feeling it at the moment but when I'm experiencing the same pressures from my body even though it isn't as evident well that's not his problem. 

    Thanks for letting me vent :D This issue needs greater awareness I think, after all the work that has been done for women's equality and we still get short shafted *tehe* it is ridiculous that women don't have equal rights to sexual satisfaction in the bedroom. Maybe we need a ribbon hmmm maybe pink stripes with a red stripe down the center? ;) 
  • I'm there too...hubby doesn't seem to want it very often. I told him "You are the one man that is supposed to desire me and make me feel desired" he felt really bad after I told him he isn't doing that job well. It's a struggle but I definitely think low testosterone and perhaps our warped social implications on men that are to blame. How media portrays men and women to be is often far out of reality. Also, I think our struggling economy has most people very stressed out at work- constantly thinking our jobs are in jeopardy and working harder for less. 
    My advice is have him see a doc, that is my next step with my hubby. 
  • My guy & I are in mid 50's. He is on testosterone injections & bio identical hormone testosterone cream. He takes Cialis quite often. His libido comes & goes in spurts(ha, pun intended!) Often he gets it up, inserts it into me, then it wilts away , varies the  times it stays erect. Early on in the relationship, we went to a sex toy shop & purchased a  non latex realistic feeling &  looking penis dildo(rubber maybe) that was the same size as his erect penis.  We also got a soft headed small vibrator for my clit to use in conjunction with Junior, as we call the dildo.So when the mister wilts & falls out, he either helps me or leaves the room for me to play. I'd prefer his sex drive was more & I feel rejection too, even humiliated at times. He begs me not to feel that way. He was left terribly in debt by his ex wife($137,000) & his job sucks at times-the stress on the man is immense. I give him some slack. Other times he'll get it up & bang away at me, several positions & it stays up for 30-45 minutes . He rarely cums. Maybe 1 or 2 times per week. Sometimes I can suck him back  to  erect & we try again. Sometimes 3 times. But he often gives up. I use my toys almost daily, because if I didn't I'd go nuts! I will get that book The Sex Starved wife. I told him yesterday I'd placed an order for crotchless  panties & stockings with garters to spice things up. He said "Geeze you don't need to spice anything up, your smoking hot already, I just have to get my head straight". I can grumble to myself or take matters into my own hands. After all, I've known my body parts longer than he has. He worries I'll take on a lover or 2 & occasionally  he will tell me go find a lover. Then he says next day to please don't because it would break his heart. We are often on a different page, after work I'm horny, he wants tv, as beer & cigar. He is a little overweight. BUT-This guy is my soul mate. But  I'm learning to deal as best I can. Ladies, I'm so glad I found you all!
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