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Blogs > theweavers2007 > BACK HOME AND LOOKING

Sex After 60: Key Findings  

theweavers2007 56M/56F
185 posts
8/22/2008 6:10 am
Sex After 60: Key Findings

During a survey, trained researchers interviewed subjects, administered questionnaires asking intimate questions, and obtained medical data including blood, saliva, and vaginal swab samples.

The survey unearthed what Lindau calls "a gold mine" of data on the sexuality of Americans aged 57-85. Some key facts:

People in "very good" or "excellent" health were far more likely to be sexually active than those in "fair" or "poor" health: 79% more likely for men, and 64% more likely for women.
At any age, women were less likely than men to have an intimate partner. This disparity "increased dramatically with age," the researchers found.
Few older people not in a relationship are sexually active: only 22% of men and only 4% of women.
54% of sexually active older people have sex at least two to three times a month. Twenty-three percent report sex once a week or more.
Oral sex is reported by 58% of sexually active people aged 57-64 and by 31% of those aged 75-85.
Masturbation is reported by 52% of men and 25% of women in an intimate relationship and by 55% of men and 23% of women not in relationships. "This suggests older adults have a drive or a need for sexual fulfillment," Lindau says.
Sex is "not at all important" for 35% of older women, but only 13% of older men. "Women say, 'On the one hand I am not now interested in sex, but if I met the right kind of partner, maybe I would consider it,'" Lindau says.
Half of all older people report at least one bothersome sexual problem.
The most common sexual problems for men are erection difficulty (37, lack of interest in sex (28, climaxing too quickly (28, performance anxiety (27, and inability to climax (20.
The most common sexual problems for women are lack of interest in sex (43, difficulty with lubrication (39, inability to climax (34,<b> finding sex </font></b>not pleasurable (23, and pain (17.
The most common reason for not having sex was the male partner's physical health.
Even though most older people report some sexual problems, only 38% of men and 22% of women 50 years or older ever discuss sex with their doctors.

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