JOY FEELINGS MAGAZINE April-May | Page 7

7 dropping steadily, about 20 percent per decade, as couples age. In other words, young couples have sex slightly more than twice per week on average, with the number declining steadily over time. OMG! My Numbers Are Off! If you just read the statistics provided above and thought, "Uh-oh, there is something wrong with me/us," you're not alone. Maybe you and your partner have done it 10 times this week and it's only Tuesday, or maybe you've not been physically intimate since your neighbor's last Fourth of July party. Either way, there is no need to freak out. You're not necessarily hyper-sexed if you're well above the norm, nor are JOY FEELINGS MAGAZINE you automatically undersexed if you're far below the norm. Human sexual arousal patterns cut a very wide swath in terms of what people like to do and how often they like to do it. And frequency of sexual arousal and behavior can be influenced by any number of factors, including: • Age • Life circumstances • Physical and emotional health • Medications • Having children at home • Hormonal imbalance • Recent losses and grief • Substance use and abuse • Workload and stress • Relationship status • A history of previous trauma or abuse • Diminished physical attraction and a corresponding lack of