Released May 1, 2008

ITHACA, N.Y. — Compared to the younger generation, little is known about the sexuality of elderly population. How does the sexual life of older people change as they age? Is there any overall pattern of change in people’s sexual behaviors? Two recent research articles looked at various aspects of sexuality in later life.

What they say

Lindau and colleagues used interviews and survey questionnaires to examine the prevalence of sexual activity, behaviors, and problems of U.S. adults in their 57 to 85 years of age. From the data on 1550 women and 1455 men, they found that prevalence of sexual activity declined in both sexes as they aged. Overall, men reported more sexual activity than women, but the difference was relatively small among persons in a married or intimate relationship. Among the respondents who were sexually active, about half of them reported at least one sexual problem. Among women, the problems were low desire, difficulty with vaginal lubrication, and inability to climax. Among men, difficulty in achieving and maintaining erection, lack of interest in sex, and climaxing too quickly were predominant problems. Compared to only 1% of women, 14% of men reported taking medication or supplements to improve sexual function. The researchers also found that only a small portion of the sample (38% of men and 22% of women) had discussed sex with a physician since the age of 50. Finally, they noted that poorer health in both men and women was associated with decreased sexual activity and more sexual problems.

While this article included studied both male and female older persons in the U.S., Hayes and colleagues focused their study on female sexuality and compared the United States and Europe (United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Italy) and the U.S. Using data from 1998 European women and 1591 American women, the researchers looked at the level of sexual desire and sex-related distress in women between 20 to 70 years of age. They found that in Europe, the prevalence of low desire increased significantly with age, with women in their sixties having almost five times the prevalence of women in their twenties. Although the change was smaller than in the European data, the number of American women with low sexual desire increased with age as well. Interestingly, in both Europe and the U.S., distress over sexual problems decreased with age. In the 20-29 year age group, 65% of European women and 67% of American women with low sexual desire were distressed by it. This decreased to 22% and 37%, respectively, in the 60-70 year age group. Overall, the researchers found that as women get older, although sexual desire may decrease, this issue causes less distress than in younger women.

What it means

Both studies showed a decreasing pattern of sexual functioning and desire in elderly population, particularly among women. This is something that clinicians should be aware of. In particular, it may be worthwhile for physicians to encourage discussion of these issues with older persons. Despite this finding, it should be noted that many older adults continue to be sexually active. Further, for some older people, decreasing sexual activity and desire may not be perceived as problematic or distressing.

References

Lindau S.T., Schumm L.P., Laumann E.O., Levinson, W., O’Muircheartaigh, C.A., Waite, L.J. (2007). A study of sexuality and health among older adults in the United States. New England Journal of Medicine 357:762-774.

Hayes R.D., Dennerstein L., Bennett C.M., Koochaki P., Leiblum, S., Graziottin, A. (2007). Relationship between hypoactive sexual desire disorder and aging. Fertility and Sterility 87:107-112.

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