Got the 10 year itch?
Read about the author Samantha Evans
Marilyn Monroe may have got it wrong when she starred in the film, “The Seven Year Itch” as researchers have found that couples need to be concerned about their relationships after 10 years.
Couples who make it beyond seven years of marriage may think they can look forward to many years of wedded bliss but a study which looked at more than 2,000 women over 35 years found that in most marriages, happiness and communication between couples faltered from the start and never improved, with many problems peaking after 10 years.
The research, conducted at Brigham Young University and led by Dr Spencer James in 2013 was based on interview data collected from 2,604 women born between 1957 and 1964.
It found that conflicts increase during the first decade of marriage as couples realise the difficulties that arise with long term commitment and unresolved or unresolvable issues within the marriage.
66% of marriages start with high levels of happiness and satisfaction but decline throughout the years.
Problems start to occur after the first decade of marriage as women become dissatisfied with bearing the brunt of household chores, childcare and having a job.
Often having children can put strain upon a marriage, certainly during the early years due to lack of sleep, and exhaustion.
The research found that if couples can make it through the next five years the level of conflict decreases, reaching its lowest point after 35 years of marriage. For 33% of couples, their happiness did improve after three decades but not to the levels of happiness when they first married.
Changes to family life can have an impact on marriage as children grow up and leave home.
Many couples only stay together for their children and subsequently separate when their children fly the nest.
For many couples, their marriages become stronger after this phase with them enjoying having their home to themselves and more time to spend together.
Sexual health issues can impact upon relationship but many can be easily resolved with seeking medical advice, exploring new ways to boost your sex life and incorporating sex toys and bondage into your sex life.
With this new found freedom, they may rediscover the pleasures of having sex whenever and wherever they want to without being interrupted. Many couples experiment with using sex toys, light bondage, reading and watching erotica to spice up their sex lives, taking advantage of not being disturbed!