Lesbian Bed Death (LBD)

Lesbian bed death is the idea that lesbian couples in committed relationships have sex less frequently than other couples, and that their sexual frequency declines more over time. The concept comes from 1983 research by social psychologist Philip Blumstein and sociologist Pepper Schwartz, published in their book American Couples: Money, Work, Sex. The finding has been widely criticized. Sexual frequency drops for all long-term couples regardless of orientation, the survey relied on a narrow definition of what counts as sex, and the framing has been faulted for heteronormative assumptions. Notably, the original study also found that lower frequency did not reduce relationship satisfaction for lesbian couples. Within lesbian communities the phrase persists as both a cultural reference point and a running joke.