Sexual Health And Aging: Keep The Passion Alive

Intimacy is timeless. Contrary to popular views on sexuality, older folks can and do engage in sex regularly. Seniors can enjoy a healthy and satisfying sexual life as much as younger people can. Here are a few tips for maintaining a healthy and active sex life as you age.

Generally
There are a few common problems that the elderly face that can affect their sex lives. Physical changes, in particular, can interfere with healthy sex life. Some people begin to experience pain as they age. Common pain medicines can help, but they sometimes interfere with sexual health. Discuss this with your doctor. Exercise will help with your general physical health and can make sex more enjoyable. Other lifestyle changes, such as cutting back on smoking and alcohol consumption, can improve your sexual experiences. A notable problem for older folks is STIs, sexually transmitted illnesses. The elderly tend to underestimate their risks for STIs, and thus the transmission and infection rates are among the highest of all age demographics.

Men
As men age, their natural testosterone levels decline, which can affect their libido and ability to get and maintain and erection, in addition to leading men to require more stimulation to achieve an orgasm, orgasms not lasting as long, and a longer refractory period (the time between being able to get an erection after orgasm). Additionally, men begin to experience erectile dysfunction, or the inability to get or maintain an erection. There are treatments available for this, though, and should be discussed with your doctor. Reducing alcohol and cigarette intake can improve erectile performance. Both affect your heart, as well, which can impact your ability to get or maintain an erection. A mental health issue can affect your sex life as well, and some medicines for depression, notably those in the SSRI class, can affect your libido. Again, both issues should be discussed with your doctors.

Women
Older women rate sexual intimacy high among their concerns, whilst reporting similar numbers of health-related issues as men. Women sometimes find that achieving an orgasm is more difficult later in life, though this frequently has to do with their partner’s erectile issues. Women generally are less likely to discuss sexual health issues with their doctors than men are. Owing to disparities in longevity between men and women, women also report they have trouble finding an intimate partner. Safe sex is also important for older women, because, as mentioned above, STI rates are increasing among the elderly, with women outpacing men.