Sex Life in Old Age

How to achieve a satisfying sex life in our senior years and what are the obstacles that come with old age?

The need for physical and emotional connectedness is timeless

Most of us have difficulty imagining that our parents and older people in general engage in sexual activities, or that they even have the desire for it. This is a prejudice that is connected, among other things, to the idolising of youth and rejection of old age and everything connected to it. What is more, old people themselves sometimes tell us to enjoy ourselves while we are still young because after that it is all over.

According to numerous studies this is not the case. In old age sexual activity is also important for a general sense of well being and health. The obstacles which can affect the quality of your sex life in old age are problems which many people of the older generation experience, namely high blood pressure, high cholesterol level, diabetes, different bone diseases (rheumatism, osteoporosis, arthritis), problems with the spine and old-age depression, which afflicts a lot of people.

Testosterone is the hormone which regulates the sexual drive both for men and women, so it is recommendable that the senior person measures its levels in case there is a lack of sexual desire.

Problems associated with old age are not the same for men and women, though. Women start to experience change when they enter   menopause and their oestrogen level drops. The vagina loses its flexibility, which can cause pains during intercourse, and it also takes longer for the vagina to get moist, which means we have to spend more time devoted to foreplay. It is also recommended to use water based lubricants. Regular intercourse also helps with preserving the elasticity and moistness.

Men start to experience problems with erection. Sometimes it goes so far that they have to seek medical assistance.

Communication between two partners who trust each other with their problems is definitely of key importance when it comes to a satisfying love life in our senior years.

Some kinds of medication, which older people take, can cause the decrease in their sexual desire, so it is important to consult one’s doctor an how to lessen such side effects.

Psychological factors which influence the quality of love life in the senior population are connected to the physical aging process. People start to feel less and less attractive and this influences their self esteem and this in turn causes tension during sexual intercourse.

More and more people of the older generation are starting to realise that good health is the key to a satisfying love life and they are thus taking better care for their health and are turning to their doctors for advice. There is also an increasing demand for hormonal therapies.

Sexuality at the age of sixty or seventy is of course not the same as in our twenties or thirties, which does not mean that it can not be just as fulfilling. We have to invest a little more energy into it and understand the physical and psychological changes that old age brings with it. These are all the reasons which can contribute to the improved quality of sexual intercourse, because they force a person to explore new possibilities which he/she has not considered so far because he/she did not feel the need.