Experts have revealed the reason why middle-aged couples appear to lose their spark – and it’s not just to do with work, stress or taking each other for granted.

Relationship gurus say the fading lack of enthusiasm between the sheets among those of a certain age might be down to hormone changes that hit both partners at the same time – which has now been dubbed the ‘couplepause’. So, while physical changes that spark menopause for a woman can lead to a loss of sex drive, at the same time men can also experience a fall in testosterone.

And scientists now claim the effects of the hormone shift on those in middle-age can actually be ‘passed’ from one partner to the other – saying the loss of interest and anxiety in one partner can harm the other’s sexual drive – and a cycle can begin if both are reluctant to seek treatment, meaning the symptoms go from from one to the other.

The news comes as separate research found women were emotionally and financially worse off than men after ‘grey divorce’ – break-ups after 50 – which is on the rise in high-income countries. Sex therapist Dr Emmanuele Jannini, of Tor Vergata University in Rome, said: ‘Sexual problems in one partner may, in turn, worsen the other’s sexual health. Addressing sexual health needs during mid-life must have the aim of not only improving survival but also pursuing healthy ageing.’