Nina Ann Friedman laughed when she heard the phrase ``recession sex.''

But then she thought about it, and concluded that she and her husband are definitely having it. About four times a week.

``If you're really stressed out, and you want to make someone feel better,'' she said, ``that's the easy road.''

Neither Friedman nor her husband of three years have lost their jobs, but the dour economy has scared them into serious savings. They've cut back on travel and are careful about their spending. They spend romantic evenings in with Netflix, instead of out at well-appointed restaurants.

And sex, which was always a priority for the couple, is now nearly an everyday occurrence, Friedman said.

If conventional wisdom suggests that money woes and unemployment aren't exactly aphrodisiacs, some couples have found that the sputtering economy has sparked a boom in the bedroom.

The Chicago-based market-research firm Information Resources reports sales of sexual enhancement products such as mini-vibrators targeted to women are up 35 percent over last year, and personal lubricants for men and women have picked up 25 percent.

This doesn't necessarily prove that during rough times, sex sells. IRI's data also show that sales of male condoms slid slightly during the same period, as did most female contraceptives.

Still, Mir Kamin, a writer and blogger who frequently muses on marriage and family at www.blogher.com, says recession sex fits a national mood that seems focused more on home and hearth.

Before the economy tanked, she said, ``it was very easy to let life get in the way. Families had a million things going on, and spending time together may have gotten lost in the shuffle.''

Household belt-tightening, she added, ``fosters this whole togetherness and an appreciation of what they have.'' Some couples look around and think, ``Right, this is the stuff that matters.''

After his real-estate career tanked along with the housing market, Mike McCracken turned to a more stressful, less-rewarding job. But he reports being ``in the mood'' more than ever.

He and his wife just returned from a getaway to mark their sixth wedding anniversary. But even before that, he said, as his wife recognized his professional disenchantment, she has gone out of her way to reward him at home. ``It wasn't a conversation. She just did it,'' McCracken said, adding, ``I've absolutely appreciated that.''

``When you add more stress into a relationship, couples tend to sometimes pull apart,'' he said. But for the McCrackens, ``We've discovered that the more you make love with your partner, you're more willing to give in. The selfishness goes away.''

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