Regular sexual activity helps maintain sexual ability, and most older adults can maintain active sex lives. However, over time it is normal for older adults to notice changes.

Sexual responses and functions gradually slow down with age. Older adults may take longer to become aroused and to reach a climax. For men, testosterone levels decline very gradually, and men remain fertile until the end of life. Older women experience more gradual changes with menopause, the time when estrogen production slows and fertility declines. Two important effects of menopause are a loss of bone tissue, which can weaken bones and cause osteoporosis, and higher cholesterol levels, which may lead to cardiovascular disease.

Common Problems

Some older men experience problems with impotence, although impotence is not generally attributed to aging processes. Many common diseases (such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, etc.) may impact sexual functioning. In addition, drugs commonly taken by older adults may affect sexual functioning.

Implications for Older Adults

The sexuality of older adults is often stereotyped and/or overlooked as an important issue. Consequently, many people (including older adults themselves) are often reluctant to talk about issues of sex, even with their health care providers. Some older adults may withdraw from sexual activity because they experience some slow-down, have a fear of failure, or simply because they think they "should". For women, a limiting factor in their sex lives is often the lack of a partner. This is primarily because older women so significantly outnumber men (after age 65, single women outnumber single men by 4:1).

References and Further Resources on Aging and Reproduction & Sexuality

Web Sites

Aging and Human Sexuality Resource Guide

Sexuality In Middle And Later Life Annotated Bibliography

Articles & Reports

AARP/Modern Maturity sexuality study. (1999). Washington, DC: prepared by NFO Research, Inc. for AARP.
http://research.aarp.org/health/mmsexsurvey.pdf

Robert N. Butler & Myrna Lewis (2000). Chapter 114: Sexuality. Merck Manual of Geriatrics.
http://www.merck.com/pubs/mm_geriatrics/sec14/ch114.htm

Hillman,Jennifer and George Stricker (1994). A Linkage of Knowledge and Attitudes toward Elderly Sexuality: Not Necessarily a Uniform Relationship, The Gerontologist, 34: 256-260.

Mercer, Catherine. (1999). Cross-cultural attitudes to the menopause and the ageing female. Age and Ageing, 28: 12-17.

National Institute on Aging. (1995). Menopause. Washington, DC: National Institute on Aging.
http://www.nih.gov/nia/health/pubs/menopause

National Institute on Aging. (1994). Age Page. Sexuality later in life. Washington, DC: National Institute on Aging.
http://www.nih.gov/nia/health/agepages/sexual.htm

Sexuality and aging. (Spring 1999 special issue). Southwest Journal on Aging, 15 (1).

Schlesinger, Benjamin. (1996). Sexless years or sex rediscovered. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 26 (1-2): 117-131.

Wiley, Diana. Bortz, Walter M. (1996). Sexuality and aging--usual and successful. Journals of Gerontology: Series A: Biological and Medical Sciences, 51A (3): M142-M146.