The study, published in BMJ Open, found women who have been in a relationship for at least a year were four times more likely to lose interest in sex than those in shorter romances.
But according to he researcher this trend did not apply to men who consistently maintain sexual desires no matter the length of the relationship.
Women are also more likely to be put off by a bad first sexual experience as they were reportedly more likely to have been pressured or have regrets about how they lost their virginity.
The report, an analysis of the third National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles, said: “These findings suggest that for women early sexual experiences may shape future sexual encounters/relationships to a greater extent than for men.”
The study found that women who lived with a partner were more at risk of having a low sex drive and that both sexes lost passion with age.
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Poor health and a lack of emotional closeness affects both men and women’s desire for sex.
People who also adhered to stereotypes, such as “men have a higher sex drive”, were more likely to conform to them, according to the study.
The report said: “Endorsing the assumption that ‘people want less sex as they age’ was associated with lack of interest in both genders.
“It might be that this belief contributes to a decline in interest, or—equally plausible—that those who lack interest adopt this attitude to avoid viewing their experience as problematic.
“Interestingly, men who endorsed the view that ‘men have a higher sex drive than women’ were significantly less likely to report lacking interest in sex, whereas women who agreed with this statement were more likely to do so.”
Women’s low sex drive was linked to having three or more partners in the past year, having children under five, not sharing their partner’s sexual preferences and different general interests to those of their partners.
The authors also suggested that non-sexual aspects of relationships could add to an understanding of people’s level of interest in sex.
Co-author Dr Kirstin Mitchell, of the University of Glasgow, commented: “The findings on the strong association between open sexual communication and a reduced likelihood of sexual interest problems emphasise the importance of providing a broad sexual and relationships education rather than limiting attention only to adverse consequences of sex and how to prevent them.”
The findings are based on experiences of nearly 5,000 men and 6,700 women aged between 16 and 74.