News/Commentary

This is another angle from a study just out which says healthier people have longer-lasting sex lives.

Here, the story focuses on male versus female interest in sexual activity as people get older.

A doctor friend of mine always has said, “Men will be interested in sex until the day they die. That is just how we are wired.” This study proves him right.

In the meantime, perhaps, the real news for a world built around youth is how much sex is going on among the 70 and 80-somethings crowd.

All of these studies mean that researchers, public policy experts and care-givers are becoming much more aware of sexuality as a serious subject among older people.

What Can You Do?

• As the number of older people grow, so does the interest in every aspect of their lives.

• Finding a skilled doctor who can assist you with any problems which interfere with your sexual activity is not so easy to do unless you have a savvy geriatrician, the specialist who treats only older people. They get it. However, geriatricians are in short supply.

• Consider the academic medical center nearest you. The faculty often have research interests, or clinics which deal with problems that just don’t get covered in the community. This surely is one. Do check there.

• The message here is, don’t stop looking for a doctor who is willing to help. Some functional issues are easily fixed, but the patient has to bring this subject up.  If you sense this topic embarrasses the doctor, you have the wrong doctor. Go elsewhere.

NPR

“It’s a stereotype, the aging man still keenly interested in sex, the aging woman, not so much.

“Some University of Chicago researchers have added statistical support for the cliche, with data indicating that, yes, more men of a certain age do seem more excited by sex than women of the same age.

“According to an abstract of the study in BMJ, the name the British Medical Journal now goes by:

“Overall, men were more likely than women to be sexually active, report a good quality sex life, and be interested in sex. These gender differences increased with age and were greatest among the 75 to 85 year old group: 38.9% of men compared with 16.8% of women were sexually active, 70.8% versus 50.9% of those who were sexually active had a good quality sex life, and 41.2% versus 11.4% were interested in sex.” (Emphasis added)

Source: NPR, March 10, 2010

Citation: BMJ 2010;340:c810