Sexless marriages , though rarely discussed openly, are more common than you might expect .

In fact, Google searches for sexless marriage are three and a half times more common than unhappy marriage and eight times more common than loveless marriage, making it the most-searched marriage complaint, data scientist Seth Stephens-Davidowitz reported in 2015 .

So what exactly constitutes a sexless marriage? Theres no precise definition, though some experts say its when a couple has sex fewer than 10 times in one year . For San Francisco-based sex therapist and relationship coach Danielle Harel , its any marriage in which the sex is mostly non-existent between the couple.

It could be that they havent had sex in five years, or only have it every couple of months, she told HuffPost.

While a lack of sex may put a strain on many relationships , is it possible for some marriages to stay intact with little to no physical intimacy? We turned to sex experts to find out.

Its possible for a sexless marriage to survive but only under certain circumstances

According to a 2015 Pew survey , 61% of U.S. married adults say a satisfying sexual relationship is very important to a successful marriage.

Most people do attribute significant meaning to sex and derive relational value from it: feelings of love, attractiveness, eroticism, desire and an expression of passion that you do not get to access with others, said Irene Fehr , a sex and intimacy coach outside of Denver. People enter romantic relationships because they want to be able to share sexual desire, attraction, passion and connection together this is what differentiates a romantic relationship from a friendship.