So how many is TOO many? Experts reveal the number of sexual partners you've had could determine how likely you are to get a DIVORCE

  • University of Utah's research studied link between premarital sex and divorce
  • It looked at five-year divorce rates and how many sexual partners women had 
  • Since 2000, women with 10 or more partners were the most likely to divorce 

By Khaleda Rahman For Daily Mail

Published: | Updated:

A study has found how the number of sexual partners you've had could determine whether your marriage will last. 

Nicholas H. Wolfinger, professor of Family and Consumer Studies at the University of Utah, studied statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Survey of Family Growth going back as far as the 1970s.

He looked at divorce rates after five years of marriage and the number of sexual partners American women had before tying the knot.  

The study found that for women marrying since 2000, those with 10 or more partners were the most likely to divorce - but Professor Wolfinger says this only became true in recent years.

Heading for divorce? A study found women with 10 or more sexual partners before marriage are the most likely to get divorced (stock image)

Heading for divorce? A study found women with 10 or more sexual partners before marriage are the most likely to get divorced (stock image)

'The highest five-year divorce rates of all are associated with marrying in the 2000s and having 10 or more premarital sex partners: 33 percent,' he wrote in the report.

'Perhaps it is not unexpected that having many partners increases the odds of divorce. 

'The greater surprise is that this only holds true in recent years; previously, women with two partners prior to marriage had the highest divorce rates.'

He also determined that women with three to nine partners were less likely to divorce than women with only two sexual partners before marriage. 

Data: The above graph shows the five-year divorce rates of women since the 1980s and the number of premarital sexual partners they had

Data: The above graph shows the five-year divorce rates of women since the 1980s and the number of premarital sexual partners they had

And women who were virgins on their wedding night were the least likely to get divorced, according to the study.

It found only five per cent of women who had zero sexual partners had marriages that ended in divorce. 

Professor Wolfinger explained the findings by noting that one of the most common reasons for abstinence before marriage was for religious reasons. 

He said women who marry as virgins were far more likely to attend church at least once a week.  

'These findings make sense in light of the fact that people who attend church frequently have lower divorce rates than do non-participants,' he added.

Better odds: The data showed that women who were virgins on their wedding nights were the least likely to get divorced (stock image)

Better odds: The data showed that women who were virgins on their wedding nights were the least likely to get divorced (stock image)

Professor Wolfinger noted that although more women are having premarital sex now than in the 1970s, but that the rate of divorce has also increased similarly.

'Earlier research found that having multiple sex partners prior to marriage could lead to less happy marriages, and often increased the odds of divorce,' he wrote. 

'But sexual attitudes and behaviors continue to change in America, and some of the strongest predictors of divorce in years gone by no longer matter as much as they once did.'  

He added: 'It won’t be surprising to most readers that people with more premarital sex partners have higher divorce rates, broadly speaking. 

'That said, this research brief paints a fairly complicated picture of the association between sex and marital stability that ultimately raises more questions than it answers.' 

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