Relationship and sex experts found the desire for sex rose at the start of the pandemic and then dropped...dramatically.
Studies show partners found a much-needed respite at the start of lockdowns but that quickly changed in the months that followed.
Texas-based sex therapist Emily Jamea said couples rarely had time to get intimate before the pandemic due to home and work commitments. When they were forced to stay at home, couples had the time to slow down and become more intimate - at first.
"Initially, the pandemic gave people the opportunity to...reconnect in a way that may be previously they were only able to do on vacation," Jamea said.
But as the lockdowns wore on, the stress of being stuck at home took its toll on intimate relationships, Jamea said. She said for most couples, sexual desire took a deep nosedive.
Studies conducted in the U.S., India, Italy, and Turkey last year had similar conclusions. The decline in sexual activity at the tail end of 2020 was attributed to the stress of being stuck at home.
"I think a big part of the reason for that is because so many people were just too stressed out," a social psychologist at The Kinsey Institute, Justin Lehmiller, said.
Lehmiller - who helped conduct a U.S.-based study - said the pandemic had created an atmosphere of fear, which was not conducive to promoting sexual desire. Some people also experienced other significant life changes because of the pandemic along with problems such as health-related anxiety and financial insecurity.
One study said COVID-19 proved toxic for sexuality and some relationships. Some couples suffered long-lasting damage due to differences resulting from being stuck with one another in cramped indoor spaces.
Jamea said the initial rise in sexual desire was a result of a "honeymoon" phase for some couples, which quickly went away. This was then replaced with disillusionment and depression, which can result in trouble for some couples.
"One of the keys to maintaining desire in a long-term relationship is having some sense of mystery about your partner and some distance. When you see each other all the time... the sense of mystery goes away," Lehmiller said.
