The need for intimacy is ageless. And studies now confirm that no matter what your gender, you can enjoy sex for as long as you wish. Naturally, sex at 70 or 80 may not be like it is at 20 or 30—but in some ways it can be better. As an older adult, you may feel wiser than you were in your earlier years, and know what works best for you when it comes to your sex life. Older people often have a great deal more self-confidence and self-awareness, and feel released from the unrealistic ideals of youth and prejudices of others. And with children grown and work less demanding, couples are better able to relax and enjoy one another without the old distractions. For a number of reasons, though, many adults worry about sex in their later years, and end up turning away from sexual encounters. Without accurate information and an open mind, a temporary situation can turn into a permanent one. You can avoid letting this happen by being proactive.
Good sex at any age
The question is, why wouldn’t she?
Horny old broads, dirty old men. These commonly used terms speak volumes about how society views older people who are interested in sex. Experts say such derogatory labels reflect a deep level of discomfort in our youth-oriented culture with the idea that seniors are sexually active. Sex is identified with reproduction, youthful attractiveness, and power -- and most young and even middle-aged people do not want to confront the inevitability of growing old. So sexual intimacy among older Americans is a subject that people don't talk about much. The silence, say experts, allows misconceptions to flourish -- including the widespread assumption that seniors lose interest in sex and are, or should be, asexual. But armed with a spate of studies that help dispel the myth that older people don't have sex or enjoy it, experts say the negative stereotypes couldn't be farther from the truth. While the frequency or ability to perform sexually will generally decline modestly as seniors experience the normal physiological changes that accompany aging, reports show that the majority of men and women between the ages of 50 and 80 are still enthusiastic about sex and intimacy. Bortz, 70, author of three books on healthy aging as well as several studies on seniors' sexuality. A Duke University study shows that some 20 percent of people over 65 have sex lives that are better than ever before, he adds.
Breadcrumb
I wrote an article a while back and decided to be strategic to get noticed. For added punch, I included my age. Hah, I said, all the way to the bank. Kinsey proved that long before most of you were born. Do they think their parents found them under a cabbage leaf? Or do they think people revert to nuns and monks when they turn forty, all knowledge of sexual matters magically erased from their consciousness? I know there are some aging virgins out there. We are creatures programmed to procreate and ensure the survival of the species.
Is sex for older adults just as common , and just as satisfying, as it is for younger adults? In the past, not much research in this area existed. People assumed that, as people got older, sex became a thing of the past. Now, we know that people aged 70 and beyond are reporting having active, fulfilling sex lives. Since , researchers in Sweden have been surveying people over the age of 70 about their sex lives. One very interesting thing about the Swedish study is that we can compare this data from the s to data we have today. In , only 52 percent of married men aged 70 and up reported that they were still sexually active. In more recent research, that figure increased to 68 percent.
