Studying on Aging and Sex Offers More than Good Headlines

If you read any of the coverage a few weeks back about the Swedish study on sexual activity and satisfaction among 70 year olds you might think things are looking up for any of us who aren’t yet 70 but hope to get there and hope to still have sex when we do. And you’d be right. As widely reported the importance of sex and sexual satisfaction steadily increased among groups of 70 year olds who were asked over a 30-year period about their sex lives. But less widely reported (in fact completely unreported in the mainstream media) are a variety of other interesting findings unearthed in the study, and the many questions it raised about sexuality across the lifespan.

Petra Boynton offers an excellent consideration of some of these points, as well as the limitations of the study (which were also left out of most of the coverage).

Also worth reading is Dr. Peggy Kleinplatz’s editorial that accompanied the study (unfortunately while the study is available online for free, you have to have a subscription to read the editorial). In the editorial Kleinplatz lauds the study for providing well-researched evidence that sexuality is of importance to seniors. But she cautions that many of the findings require further exploration and explanation. For example she points to the finding that in the most recent group of men surveyed report fewer problems getting erections but more problems with ejaculation (which for the purpose of this study is probably synonymous with orgasm). Kleinplatz suggests one interpretation for these findings is that “older men are “performing” better sexually thanks to erectogenic drugs, but enjoying themselves less, thus the difficulty in male orgasm.” Kleinplatz also points out that while over time men and women’s attitudes toward sexuality are converging, both genders continue to blame men alone for any decrease in sexual activity as they age. A finding, which Kleinplatz says, has been consistent for over 40 years.

Read more - BMJ: Secular Trends in Self Reported Sexual Activity and Satisfaction in Swedish 70 year olds: cross sectional survey of four populations, 1971-2001

Read more - Petra Boynton: Sex and the over seventies – what the research really said

Related - Senior Sexuality