Study identifies ‘compassion sex’ as women engage in activity to maintain relationships

A study published in the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy has identified a behavior termed ‘compassion sex,’ where women engage in sexual activity despite a lack of sexual desire. Researchers Nikita Guptan and James A. Simon, based in Washington, analyzed a decade of clinical trial data for medications intended to treat hypoactive sexual desire disorder.

The research involved thousands of women participating in randomized, placebo-controlled trials for drugs such as testosterone, bremelanotide, and flibanserin. Data indicated that some participants maintained sexual relations approximately two to three times per month even without a physiological response or desire.

Researchers suggest that one primary motivation for this behavior is to preserve relationship stability and encourage monogamy, potentially to prevent partners from seeking sexual encounters elsewhere.