BPD Living With BPD Borderline Personality Disorder and Your Sex Life By Kristalyn Salters-Pedneault, PhD Kristalyn Salters-Pedneault, PhD Kristalyn Salters-Pedneault, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and associate professor of psychology at Eastern Connecticut State University. Learn about our editorial process Updated on July 14, 2020 Medically reviewed Verywell Mind articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and mental healthcare professionals. Medical Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. by Steven Gans, MD Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Print Tetra Images / Getty Images Table of Contents View All Table of Contents Attitudes About Sex Reckless Sex Promiscuity Avoidance of Sex Trending Videos Close this video player Borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptoms can affect your emotional state, your relationships, and your ability to control your behavior. So it's not surprising that BPD can also have a major impact on your sex life. While very few researchers have studied BPD and its effects on sexuality, more and more work is suggesting that people with BPD can experience several key difficulties with sex. Attitudes About Sex Research has demonstrated that women with BPD tend to have more negative attitudes about sex. For example, women with BPD report having a greater number of mixed feelings about sexual relations, and are also more likely to feel pressured to have sex with their sexual partners. In addition, women with BPD report more general sexual dissatisfaction. Much less is known about how BPD affects men’s attitudes about sex. There may be a number of reasons for these more negative attitudes toward sex, including the fact that: Many women with BPD are survivors of child abuse, which may contribute to overall negative reactions to adult sexual experiences.Women with BPD are more likely to experience a great deal of conflict in their relationships, so they may feel less positive about sex. Reckless Sex Impulsive behavior is one of the symptoms of BPD listed in the DSM-5. In the case of sexuality, a trend toward impulsive behavior may lead to reckless sexual behavior as well. People with BPD are most at risk of engaging in impulsive acts when they are experiencing intense emotional responses, or when they are disinhibited by alcohol or other substances. Intense sadness, fear, jealousy, or positive emotions may also lead to impulsive sexuality. Promiscuity In addition to engaging in reckless or impulsive sex, there is evidence that people with BPD are more prone to promiscuity. This differs from impulsive sex in that promiscuity is the act of intentionally having multiple sexual partners (rather than having casual sex on a whim). Why might people with BPD be more promiscuous? One possibility is that they may use sex to combat feelings of emptiness that are associated with the disorder. When feeling empty, numb, lonely, or bored, sex may generate positive emotional responses. Borderline Personality Disorder and Cheating Avoidance of Sex While some studies have shown an increase in sexual behavior in people with BPD, there is also evidence that some actually avoid sex. For example, in a 2003 study, Dr. Mary Zanarini and colleagues found that people with BPD reported avoidance of sex for fear of experiencing an exacerbation of their symptoms. A Word From Verywell While the research is far from conclusive (and is particularly sparse with regard to men with BPD), there is evidence to suggest that people with BPD can experience a variety of sexual difficulties. It is likely that the impact of BPD symptoms on sex can vary substantially from person to person, and can take very different forms. How your symptoms impact your sex life may warrant some reflection or even a discussion with your therapist or partner. The 5 Best Online Sex Therapy Programs 3 Sources Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Bouchard S, Godbout N, Sabourin S. Sexual attitudes and activities in women with borderline personality disorder involved in romantic relationships. J Sex Marital Ther. 2009;35(2):106-21. doi:10.1080/00926230802712301 Sansone RA, Wiederman MW. Borderline personality symptomatology, casual sexual relationships, and promiscuity. Psychiatry (Edgmont). 2009;6(3):36-40. Zanarini MC, Parachini EA, Frankenburg FR, et al. Sexual relationship difficulties among borderline patients and axis II comparison subjects. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2003;191(7):479-82. doi:10.1097/01.NMD.0000081628.93982.1D Additional Reading Bouchard S, Sabourin S, Lussier Y, Villeneuve E. Relationship quality and stability in couples when one partner suffers from borderline personality disorder. J Marital Fam Ther. 2009;35(4):446-55. doi:10.1111/j.1752-0606.2009.00151.x Hurlbert DF, Apt C, White LC. An empirical examination into the sexuality of women with borderline personality disorder. J Sex Marital Ther. 1992;18(3):231-42. doi:10.1080/00926239208403409 By Kristalyn Salters-Pedneault, PhD Kristalyn Salters-Pedneault, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and associate professor of psychology at Eastern Connecticut State University. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Helpful Report an Error Other Submit