Valentines Day. Either the most romantic day of the year or a day when you can feel more alone that any other time. And also the day when condom sales peak. Go figure.
In the past we've gone all out for Valentine's day - roses, Italian meals crammed into overbooked restaurants, corny cards with actual pages of romantic messages.
We've been married for more than 25 years now and sad to say the budget and a degree of laziness mean this year we will be spending the day with the children who are enjoying their half term holiday, and the evening with a gang of friends eating crisps and watching a comedy movie.
My husband is incapacitated due to complications from recent surgery and hasn't been able to get out to buy me even a card or the garage flowers he has rocked up with in previous years, much to my amusement.
But it's all about being together isn't it and actually spending the day with a load of people I love seems right.
It seems I am not alone in thinking Valentine's luuurve doesn't have to be restricted to romantic partners - teachers apparently get more cards than any other people, followed by kids with mums and wives trailing behind them.
Bizarrely Shakespeare's fictional character Juliet still receives 1000 cards a year. What's that about people?
For many people February 14 is all the excuse they need to get jiggy with it in the bedroom and interestingly March is the month when most home pregnancy tests are sold.
68% of millennial say Valentines Day is the occasion they have most sex. Bully for the millennial. With my husband's hernia repair not healing so well and my ongoing lady garden issues we will be lucky to enjoy any more than a gentle hug.
Luckily our issues are temporary but for some people problems can be ongoing and life changing. Help is available - check out the infographic from The Independent Pharmacy and the paragraphs below for more fun facts and useful information on where you can get help with sexual health issues including STI's and erectile disfunction.
Happy Valentine's Day all from me and The Independent Pharmacy.
In the past we've gone all out for Valentine's day - roses, Italian meals crammed into overbooked restaurants, corny cards with actual pages of romantic messages.
We've been married for more than 25 years now and sad to say the budget and a degree of laziness mean this year we will be spending the day with the children who are enjoying their half term holiday, and the evening with a gang of friends eating crisps and watching a comedy movie.
My husband is incapacitated due to complications from recent surgery and hasn't been able to get out to buy me even a card or the garage flowers he has rocked up with in previous years, much to my amusement.
But it's all about being together isn't it and actually spending the day with a load of people I love seems right.
It seems I am not alone in thinking Valentine's luuurve doesn't have to be restricted to romantic partners - teachers apparently get more cards than any other people, followed by kids with mums and wives trailing behind them.
Bizarrely Shakespeare's fictional character Juliet still receives 1000 cards a year. What's that about people?
For many people February 14 is all the excuse they need to get jiggy with it in the bedroom and interestingly March is the month when most home pregnancy tests are sold.
68% of millennial say Valentines Day is the occasion they have most sex. Bully for the millennial. With my husband's hernia repair not healing so well and my ongoing lady garden issues we will be lucky to enjoy any more than a gentle hug.
Luckily our issues are temporary but for some people problems can be ongoing and life changing. Help is available - check out the infographic from The Independent Pharmacy and the paragraphs below for more fun facts and useful information on where you can get help with sexual health issues including STI's and erectile disfunction.
Did you know?
- Shakespeare’s Juliet still receives around 1,000 letters every Valentine’s Day.
- Men spend almost twice as much on Valentine’s Day as women.
- Valentine’s Day is the second most popular day to get engaged after Christmas.
- More than 9 million pet owners will buy gifts for their pets this Valentine's Day.
- Teachers receive the most Valentine’s cards, followed by kids, mothers, and wives.
By the numbers
- 198,000,000 The average number of roses produced for Valentine’s Day
- £45.10 What the average British consumer spends on Valentine’s Day
- 8% Consumers who celebrate Valentine’s Day
- 11,000 The average number of children conceived on Valentine’s Day
- 53% Women who would end their relationship if they didn’t get something for Valentine’s Day
Getting down and dirty
- During the winter months, there are more Internet searches for:
- Online dating
- Pornography
- Lingerie
- These results coincide with other search trends for:
- Birth control
- STIs
- Condom sales
- Online dating websites are busiest between Christmas Day and Valentine’s Day.
- Condom sales are 20–30% higher around Valentine's Day.
- More at-home pregnancy tests are sold in March than in any other month.
- In the last decade, rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis have reached a record-high.
- Valentine’s Day is a time to look after your sexual health, so be wise about sex with Sexwise.
Pressure to perform
- Sales of erectile dysfunction medication peak after Valentine’s Day.
- 1 in 10 men in the world are thought to suffer from erectile dysfunction.
- Over 20 million men have used, or are currently using, Viagra or other medications to treat ED.
- Causes of ED are:
- 80% physical
- 20% psychological
Only 33% of men with erectile dysfunction seek help and treatment.
Sources:
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/743856/average-spend-on-valentine-s-day-gift-in-the-uk-by-city/
- https://www.statisticbrain.com/valentines-day-statistics/
- http://www.skyn.com/en-US/Millennial-Sex-Survey.aspx
- http://www.healthcentre.org.uk/pharmacy/erectile-dysfunction-statistics.html
- https://www.meetoo.com/blog/2016/5-interesting-facts-about-valentines-day-that-wil
- http://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/national/article132581274.html
- https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-ideas/top-10-most-popular-dates-to-get-engaged
- http://www.petproductnews.com/News/Survey-Finds-More-Than-Half-of-Pet-Owners-Will-Buy-Valentines-Day-Gifts-for-Their-Pets/
- http://theromantic.com/valentinesday/trivia.htm
- https://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2017/31470/valentines-day-search-trends
- https://www.eharmony.com/blog/and-the-most-popular-time-of-year-for-online-dating-is/
- https://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-is-the-busiest-time-of-year-for-online-dating-2016-01-05
- https://www.romper.com/p/is-valentines-day-a-popular-day-to-conceive-the-numbers-dont-lie-8014522
- http://www.refinery29.uk/2017/09/175725/high-sti-rate-cdc-2016
- Based on sales data from The Independent Pharmacy
Disclaimer: Collaborative post.