This is how many partners you should have before settling down

The number of partners you've had in the past is usually one of those delicate questions that's on most people's minds when you first get together. But, while too high or low a figure, can sometimes raise eyebrows - the actual number of past sexual relationships, can be crucial to the success of your new found love.

So, how many is the right number?

According to scientists at the University of Utah in the United States, the ideal average is in fact 10 sexual partners, before embarking on a serious long-term relationship.

Exceeding this number can have, according to scientists, a negative effect on your chances of making it with your new found man or woman of your dreams.

And it doesn't end there! Researchers also found that on average those relationships only lasted 5 years.

Nicholas H. Wolfinge, one of the professors behind this study, suggested that the reason for early break-ups is because those with a high number of sexual conquests, are more likely to be dissatisfied with the complexity of longer-term relationships.