Sexual Satisfaction A Big Plus For Older Men

23 February 2006
Sexual Satisfaction A Big Plus For Older Men
by George Atkinson

"Youth is wasted on the young," goes the quotation. But it seems that in the sexual satisfaction stakes, age doesn't enter into it, as new research suggests that men in their 50s are more sexually satisfied than men in their 30s and 40s. The findings, published in the British Journal of Urology, were the result of a survey of men aged between 20 and 79, that asked them about various aspects of their sex life, including sex drive, erections and ejaculation.

The researchers found that although there was a relationship between a man's increasing age and a decline in sex drive, there wasn't a strong link between age and overall sexual satisfaction.

In the survey, the men were asked to rate their satisfaction with various aspects of their sex life on a scale of zero to four, with four representing good sexual function. Men in their twenties recorded an average overall satisfaction level of 2.8, a score shared by the men aged over 50. But men in their 30s only reached 2.6, and men in their forties averaged 2.7.

But it's not all good news as you get older. After the age of 59, overall satisfaction fell significantly to 2.5 for men in their sixties and 2.1 for men in their seventies. And scores in specific areas also decreased notably for men approaching 80.

• The average score for sexual drive was 2.8 for men in their twenties, but only 1.5 for men in their seventies.
• Erection satisfaction dropped sharply once men reached their fifties. Men in their twenties scored 3.6, men in their fifties 3.0 and men in their seventies 1.6.
• Satisfaction with ejaculation averaged 3.3 overall and showed a more measured decline with age, falling more sharply for men in their sixties and seventies. Men in their twenties averaged 3.8 while men in their seventies averaged 2.3.

So, it seems that while the equipment may not function as well, older men can still derive great satisfaction from their sex lives. "The results showed a very strong correlation between men getting older and reduced sexual functioning, but not between age and sexual satisfaction," said researcher Sophie D Fossa, from the Rikshospitalet-Radiumhospitalet Institute in Oslo. "Our results show that although men experience more problems and less sexual function as they get older, it doesn't necessarily follow that they are less satisfied with their sex lives as a result."

Based on material from the British Journal of Urology