It’s no question that the pandemic has upended our lives in every way imaginable, but what impact did it have on our sex and masturbation habits?
While a number of stories in the media may lead you to believe that everyone is buying more sex toys and having more sex, we have evidence that those bedrooms are not actually that buzzy. Sure, many of us are spending more time at home. But we think there are some very real implications from living through these unprecedented times.
The takeaway? COVID sex and its alleged sex toy boom is an ambiguous conclusion at best. Using Lioness Vibrator product usage as our guide, we’ve observed far more convincing evidence of a significant drop-off in masturbation frequency as the year wore on relative to 2019 for the same users.
We looked at anonymous aggregate usage statistics from 1879 Lioness users who were active in 2019 and 2020 and nearly 40,000 sessions recorded from January 1, 2019 through December 12, 2020. There were 19,578 total sessions in 2019 and 19,481 total sessions in 2020*. We supplemented this data with a user survey to better understand what’s going on from a qualitative perspective.
This report is not only the world’s largest physiological data set on sexual behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s also the world’s biggest study done on real world, in-the-bedroom-where-sex-happens sex (rather than in the confines of a research laboratory) in general!
I am a survivor of rape. After it happened, I felt like something precious had been stolen from me.
I isolated myself from my friends and loved ones. I struggled with low self-esteem and found myself trapped in an abusive relationship. Worst of all, I felt like I couldn’t trust my body anymore.
My body froze completely underneath my assailant, and I couldn’t forgive myself for staying quiet.
Being sexually assaulted changed my life, but I can’t let that define who I am. I learned that there’s no correct way to respond to something so horrible and that I should thank my body for surviving.
An intrauterine device (IUD) is a T-shaped device placed in the uterus to prevent sperm from reaching the egg. They are over 99% effective, making them the most effective contraceptive method out there compared to the pill, condoms, and others.
With a pill, or other forms of contraceptives, there’s a huge margin of error because you might forget to take it or use it incorrectly. With an IUD, on the other hand, you can just set it and forget it.
Your vagina works hard for you and sometimes it needs to breathe. Things like scrubbing your vagina with soap and shaving every single day is not only annoying for you, but potentially unhealthy for your vulva and vagina!
Remember, your vagina is your BFF. How would you treat them after a hard day’s work?
We’re not saying you can’t shave or wash down there every day. You can even stay unshaven! We’re simply saying to take a moment to consider whether you’re promoting your vaginal health or not.
Feel like your sex life’s been a bit lacking lately (if not outright nonexistent)? Yeah, that’s kind of a thing right now.
In a survey by the app Mentimeter and relationship therapist Vienna Pharaon, 36% of people in the U.S. and Europe said the spark between them and their partners has dwindled since quarantine, and 41% were having less sex.
Anyone else surprised those numbers aren’t higher?
The reason this is happening is fairly simple: People’s libidos drop when they’re under stress, says MFT and sex therapist Indigo Stray Conger, LMFT, CST.
It may not be a surprise to some women, but a new study that came out just last year shows that the longer a woman is in a committed long term relationship, the more likely it is that her libido will decrease.
The study concluded that women need variety and novelty in their sexual experiences to stay interested.
This article condenses research on the nature of female desire in long-term heterosexual relationships.