Sex Remains Important to Elderly Men

By Shari Roan, Los Angeles Times
December 6, 2010

Sexual activity still ranks high on the list of older men's interests, according to a new study. While often ignored as important to well-being, the study found that even some men in their 90s remained sexually active or desired to be.

Researchers from the Western Australian Centre for Health and Ageing surveyed 2,783 men ages 75 to 95 three times over 13 years. Hormone levels were also measured during the second and three rounds of questioning. About one-third of the men reported a sexual encounter in the last year. Of those men, 43% said they had sex less often than they would like. About half of the men described sex as at least a somewhat important part of their lives. Only four men -- 0.5% -- said they had sex more often than they preferred.

Medical conditions that could interfere with sexual function were common, especially prostate-related diseases. Sexual activity declined with age; only 11% of men ages 90 to 95 said they had sex in the last 12 months compared with almost 40% of those ages 75 to 79. Of the men who had not engaged in sexual activity in the last year, physical problems or limitations were cited by almost half and lack of interest was reported by 41%. Almost 40% said their partner lacked interest or had physical limitations that interfered with sex.

Men with higher testosterone levels were more likely to be sexually active. More studies are needed to determine whether treatment with testosterone would improve sexual activity in men ages 75 and older, the authors said.

". . .the belief that sexuality is not a concern of older persons remains entrenched, and they are often overlooked in sexual health research," the authors wrote.

Original source: http://www.globalaging.org/health/world/2010/sex.htm