Sexual desire is often confused with both libido and arousal. These three terms are usually spoken about and used interchangeably but are rarely fully understood.
Libido is commonly used to describe sex drive, but it's usually seen to be binary – so it's either high or low. Arousal is the collective term for the physical changes that enable the body to be ready for sex – such as raised heart and breathing rate, and increased blood flow to the genitals.
But in medical terms, desire is a person's want to have sex, which is a fluid situation.
Like many human behaviours, sex is a habit. Yet there is no normal frequency of sex and amount of sex that's good or bad. Instead, frequency, duration and type of sex are down to what each individual finds pleasurable.
Libido is often thought of as binary – simply 'high' or 'low' – but sexual desire itself is far more fluid. - Photo credit: Getty
