Thursday, August 23, 2007

Older Americans having more sex than you think - Survey offers eye-opening peek into seniors' sexuality

Older Americans having more sex than you think - Survey offers eye-opening peek into seniors' sexuality
BY JIM RITTER Health Reporter/jritter@suntimes.com
Copyright by The Chicago Sun Times
August 23, 2007

You're never too old to have sex.

University of Chicago researchers report more than half of people ages 65 to 74 are sexually active. And one in four ages 75 to 85 are still at it.

"Sexually active" was defined as having sexual contact -- whether or not intercourse or orgasm occurred -- at least once in the previous 12 months.

Jack and Elizabeth Menager pose at their home in Los Angeles. An unprecedented study of sex and seniors finds that many older people are surprisingly frisky - willing to do, and talk about, intimate acts that would make their grandchildren blush.


"Sexually active" was defined as having sexual contact -- whether or not intercourse or orgasm occurred -- at least once in the previous 12 months.

The findings should "counter the myth that older people aren't sexually active or don't care about sexuality," said Dr. Stacy Lindau, lead author of the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Researchers interviewed 3,005 adults ages 57 to 85. It was one of the most comprehensive surveys done on the sex lives of older Americans.

"It's shocking that we haven't had this information until now," Lindau said.

Not surprisingly, sexual activity declined with advancing age. But even among adults 75 to 85 who are still sexually active, 54 percent have sex at least two or three times a month -- and 23 percent do it at least once a week.

Elderly women have less sex than men, probably because they're more likely to be widowed.

About half of respondents reported at least one bothersome sexual problem, and nearly a third have at least two problems.

The most common problems in men: impotence (37 percent), lack of interest (28 percent) and climaxing too quickly (28 percent).

2-hour interviews
Women's biggest problems: lack of interest (43 percent), difficulty with lubrication (39 percent) and inability to climax (34 percent).
Nevertheless, only 38 percent of men and 22 percent of women have discussed sex with their doctor since age 50.

"Until recently, older adults tended to keep quiet about their sexuality because younger people assumed that they were not and should not be sexually active," Dr. John Bancroft of Indiana University's Kinsey Institute wrote in an accompanying editorial. "Now the pendulum has swung."

Researchers conducted two-hour, face-to-face interviews, usually in respondents' homes. Spouses generally did not listen in.

Only 2 percent to 7 percent declined to answer questions about sexual activity or problems.

"Participants were more likely to refuse questions about income than they were about sex," Lindau said.

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