Allie, a 22-year-old from North Carolina, is waiting until marriage to have sex. Shes totally comfortable with that decision, but its made dating a bit uncomfortable at times.

Ive been ghosted more times than I can count, she said. I had one guy who found out right before our first date and suddenly went from very interested to putting in no effort. It was the dealbreaker for Id guess about 80% of prospective dates.

Shes always been upfront about her choice, and her boyfriend of three years is fine with it.

I never lied about my celibacy because it doesnt end well for either person, she said. Celibacy is more common than most people think. Just hang in there and the right person will eventually come along.

Allie is hardly the only person choosing to be celibate after all, were in a so-called millennial sex recession. And even couples whove gotten physical are starting to practice a kind of reverse celibacy, said Tammy Nelson , a sex therapist and the author of Getting the Sex You Want.

Theyll be sexually active, get engaged and then decide to stay pseudo-virginal until their wedding day.

Its almost like a kickback to an old-fashioned desire to marry without having sex first, even though they have had a fully sexually pre-approved relationship prior to their commitment, she said. They know they are compatible, and yet they are starting over, and holding out, hoping theyll rekindle a spark and feel some anticipation before their wedding. Its charming, really.

Clearly, people choose to abstain from sex for all types of reasons. But how do you make your sexual status known when youre single and celibate? Below, sex therapists share when and how to broach the topic.

Bring it up quickly after meeting certainly by the third date and consider putting it in your profile.

Generally speaking, its always a good policy to be clear and upfront about your sexuality, whether youre gay, straight, poly, pro-kink or celibate.

Do it fast and be honest, Nelson said. Why leave something so important to a later time when it might be too late for either of you to make a clear decision, or for the other person to understand why you waited so long to tell them?

Should you state it explicitly in your profile or hint at it? (For instance, Looking for something platonic or companionship.) Maybe, said Vanessa Marin , a sex and relationship therapist and online course creator.

It depends on how long youre planning on being celibate for. If this is a temporary decision, you can tell a person fairly early in the dating process, she said. If its a lifelong decision, I would put it on your profile.

Allie, the celibate woman mentioned above, recommends bringing it up by the third date.

I feel that anything sooner is too... I dont know, presumptive? she said. If a guy starts pushing for physical stuff sooner I will tell him earlier, but date three has always been my rule. Anything later than that feels like I am hiding it from the guy and not being honest.