Who says old age slows down your sex drive? Does the “winter of your life” really have to be that cold? Just ask the 60, 70, 80, and yes, even the 90-year-olds who may be having more (and better!) sex nowadays than their younger counterparts. And Dr. Northrup couldn’t be happier that these new statistics are dispelling the myths and taboos of midlife sexuality.

A groundbreaking study published last summer in the New England Journal of Medicine reveals that older Americans aren’t letting age prevent them from enjoying healthy sex lives.¹ The survey of sexual attitudes, behaviors, and problems of U.S. adults age 57 and older shows that many are having sex often, with sexual activity dropping only slightly from the late 50s to the early 70s. “This gives us, for the first time, the most comprehensive and nationally representative data on sexuality for men and women and makes a particular contribution with regard to knowledge of older women’s sexuality,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Stacy Tesler Lindau of the University of Chicago.

“This study reminds us that sex is for everyone—not just the young,” says Dr. Northrup. “Aging does not spell the end of love. In fact, the best sex of your life really can happen later in life.” Most people were probably not aware that their senior friends and family members were having any sex at all, much less the best sex of their lives. Now the truth is out and the information should help doctors work more effectively and compassionately with older patients.

Study results confirm that sex and older age do go together, even though scientific research has paid little attention up until now. Among the 3,005 survey respondents, 73 percent of people ages 57 to 64 reported having sex with a partner in the previous year. Numbers dropped to 53 percent for those 64 to 75 and to 26 percent for those 75 to 85. More than half of men and a quarter of women said they practiced individual sex during the previous year.

There’s no question that sex remains an important part of life to age 85—and probably far longer. Dr. Northrup hopes this landmark study will focus attention on sex at midlife and beyond and dispel any myths and taboos that have kept such important health information under wraps for too long. It helps that older adults make up the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population, a group willing to speak up about quality of life issues.

“At midlife, more and more women become comfortable with telling the truth about their sexuality—to themselves and to others,” says Dr. Northrup. “All humans are sexual by nature. We are pleasure-seeking creatures by design and sex is an important part of our life force. In other words, if we think of sexual energy in the largest possible context—as life force, or as Source energy—then the relationship between the two becomes clear: the health and vitality of our sexuality is inexorably linked to the health and vitality of our lives.”

This is a time for every woman to re-evaluate and strengthen her connection with this life force for greater happiness at midlife and beyond. And there’s no reason not to join the senior sexual revolution, whatever age you may be. It is, after all, good for your health!

 

References

1. Lindau, S. T., et. al., 2007. A study of sexuality and health among older adults in the United States, NEJM, 357(8):762-774.