Everything that happens to your body if you stop having sex after Khloé Kardashian reveals she’s four years celibate

Khloé Kardashian has revealed she went four years without sex, and popular culture might have you thinking that’s the end of the world.

The 42-year-old made the admission in a teaser for the new season of The Kardashians, revealing that, at the time of filming last December, she had been celibate for four years.

However, it appears she could now be considering putting herself back out there, declaring: “I’m single, I might be ready to mingle.”

While four years might sound like a long time, there is no medically prescribed amount of sex a person needs to have, and abstaining doesn’t mean your body suddenly starts behaving strangely.

Dr Shirin Lakhani, an expert in intimate and women’s health, explained that ‘the body should not undergo any particular changes simply because someone hasn't had sex for a certain amount of time’.

A lack of intimacy can impact your mood (Getty Stock)

Still, because sex can have certain physical and psychological effects, giving it up may mean missing some of those benefits.

Your mood may change

Sex causes the body to release chemicals including dopamine, oxytocin and endorphins, which are associated with pleasure, bonding and wellbeing.

Dr Lakhani explained that celibacy may therefore bring ‘a reduction in oxytocin and endorphins as well as a dip in dopamine levels’.

That could affect mood or motivation, although it doesn’t mean abstinence causes lasting hormonal problems.

You might notice more stress

Those same chemical reactions may explain why some people find sex relaxing.

Oxytocin, dopamine and endorphins can help with stress, while oxytocin has also been associated with sleep.

If sex was previously one of the ways you relaxed, its absence could therefore be noticeable. That doesn’t mean celibacy automatically makes you stressed or anxious, though, as people manage stress in countless other ways.

Khloé revealed it had been more than four years for her (instagram/@khloekardashian)

Your relationship could feel different

For couples, a change in sexual activity can sometimes affect emotional intimacy.

If two people previously had sex regularly and suddenly stop, one or both partners may feel less connected or become anxious about what the change means.

Of course, a reduction in sex isn’t necessarily a sign that anything is wrong.

Work, children, health and busy schedules can all change how frequently couples have sex.

Your pelvic floor gets less of a workout

Orgasms cause the pelvic-floor muscles to contract and relax, effectively giving them a small workout.

Those muscles support organs including the bladder, bowel and uterus, so keeping them strong is important.

That doesn’t mean sex is required for a healthy pelvic floor, however.

Pelvic-floor exercises can target the same muscles without sexual activity.

Intimacy can have an array of benefits, but you shouldn't worry if you're celibate (Getty Stock)

Menstrual cramps may feel different

Some people find orgasms help ease period pain.

The uterus contracts during an orgasm before relaxing afterwards, which may temporarily relieve tension and cramping.

So, if sex or orgasms previously helped with period discomfort, stopping could mean losing that particular form of relief.

Post-menopausal vaginal changes may become more noticeable

The physical effects of celibacy can be more relevant after menopause.

Dr Lakhani explained that, in post-menopausal women with lower oestrogen levels, reduced sexual stimulation may contribute to vaginal tissues becoming thinner, drier and less elastic more quickly.

Importantly, celibacy itself does not cause menopause or switch off the production of reproductive hormones.

You won’t permanently become ‘tighter’

One persistent myth is that not having sex makes the vagina permanently tighter – or, conversely, that having lots of sex permanently stretches it.

Neither is true.

“Sex, or a lack of sex, does not cause permanent changes to the size or shape of the vagina or labia,” Dr Lakhani said, explaining that the vagina is highly elastic.

Ultimately, four years without sex might be noteworthy Kardashian trivia, but medically there is no required quota to hit.

As Dr Lakhani put it: “There is no medically ‘normal’ amount.”