Want to turn up the volume on your sex life? Use birth control!
Suzanne Bell, a doctoral student at Johns Hopkins University, led a study of married or cohabitating women in 47 low- to middle-income countries on the frequency of intercourse. What they found was that 90% of women using contraception reported having had sex in the previous four weeks. For women not using contraception, the number dropped to 72%.
In some countries, the difference in frequency between contraceptive users and non-contraceptive users was statistically insignificant, but in no place did the numbers reverse themselves. Across the board, using contraception means more frequent sex.
What the researchers can’t tell us is why this is the case. Is it because whoopee is more fun when there’s less chance that your orgasm will result in a diaper blow-out 40 weeks later? Is it that women using contraception are more secure in their sexuality and therefore more interested in having sex? Does it relate to the level of equality between male and female partners in relationships? Clearly, there is a lot more work to be done.
One loose conclusion researchers were able to draw is that birth control is good for relationships since (consensual) sex is good for relationships. And to that we can all say an orgasmic “Yes! Yes! God, yes!”
