Age is a number too many people get hung up on. It’s not the number of years you pass on this earth that’s important — it’s how you choose to spend that time.
Getting older is only a problem when it starts affecting your daily life. Or, as we’ll discuss, your sex life.
Women, aging and sex
Women do experience a gradual decline in sexual responsiveness as we age. The production of hormones diminishes which can affect sex drive. In addition, these physiological changes take place:
- vaginal walls become more thin and rigid
- the vagina produces less lubrication
Both these changes can cause discomfort during intercourse (so be sure to choose a good, effective lube).
Here’s the good news: a woman’s capacity to achieve orgasm remains unchanged well into her senior years. (It may take longer to achieve orgasm, however.)
Menopause is associated with the end of fertility, menstruation and the production of eggs. Traditionally, menopause has been considered the end of a woman’s sex life. People who thought this also thought that the only reason women engage in sex is to have children. But recent studies have demonstrated that many women enjoy sex more after menopause! Their fears of unwanted pregnancies are completely ended. So, instead of being the end of your sex life, menopause can be a new beginning!
Age-related changes in a man’s sex life
The story behind the effects of age on a man’s sexual function is a little more grim. You’ve heard the often-repeated claim that a man’s peak sexual age is 18? Unfortunately, this is true. It’s a shame that most men are at their pinnacle of sexual capabilities at an age when they don’t know how to use them.
Every year after this sexual peak, a man’s steriod hormone (including testosterone) levels gradually decline. This decrease is measurable by the age of 30. Lower hormone levels mean two things:
reduced speed of physiological reactions (you get aroused more slowly)
increased refractory period (time after orgasm that it takes to achieve a second erection)
The former shortcoming is okay and can be overcome with sufficient foreplay. The second is more troublesome — like most women, I really really like round 2. Fortunately a friend of mine has found a solution that helps men get ready for round 2 faster: this product, he says, makes orgasms stronger as well as helping him get back in action.
After age 40, the urgency of sexual desire or “horniness” decreases. Men over 40 are harder to turn on and generally speaking don’t perform as well as younger men. (Don’t get your feelings hurt! There are exceptions.) This decline continues through the 50s.
Another effect of age that sets in around age 40 is a periodic inability to get an erection. It’s not that you’re not aroused — it’s just that you cannot get an erection. Many men are extremely anxious about this. Even worse, many women don’t understand this phenomenon and think that a lack of erection is a lack of excitement, arousal, and sometimes even a sign of ambivalence. That’s why pharmaceuticals that promise instant erections are so popular among men with anxieties and low self-esteem.
Despite these changes in a man’s body, recent studies have indicated that healthy men enjoy fulfilling sex lives into old, old age. Men are also fertile their entire lives, so age need not diminish one’s ability to father children.
Sex and age — the bottom line
All studies that have been done lately has indicated that many of our ideas about sex and age are just plain wrong. Women don’t lose interest in sex when they go through menopause. Men don’t lose interest in sex after 40 — they just need more enticement to get excited.
The best thing you can do for your sexual health is to be fit. Eat healthy foods in moderation and go to the gym. Avoid stress, or, if you can’t, learn to deal with it in a healthy manner. Above all else, talk to your partner about your concerns. Keep the lines of communication open.
And remember — you can enjoy a healthy, fulfilling sex life for as long as you want!
No comments:
Post a Comment