As a woman gets older, physical problems are less likely to influence whether she is sexually active than her partner's sexual health or interest in sex, say researchers at the University of California, San Francisco. Interestingly, the study, published the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, also showed significant differences in the frequency of sexual activity, as well as sexual desire and satisfaction, among racial groups of middle-aged and elderly women. In the study, nearly 50 percent of women aged between 45 and 80 reported at least moderate sexual desire, and 60 percent had been sexually active in the previous three months. Half of all sexually active participants described their overall sexual satisfaction as moderate to high. More than one quarter of women aged 65 years or older remained moderately or highly interested in sex, and more than one third of women in this age group had been sexually active in the past three months.
But among sexually inactive women, the most common reason cited was lack of interest in sex (39 percent), followed by lack of a partner (36 percent), physical issues of partner (23 percent) and lack of interest by partner (11 percent).
"Our findings indicate that a substantial portion of women are interested and engaged in sexual activity as they age," said lead author Alison Huang, from the University of California, San Francisco. "Treatment directed solely at improving women's sexual functioning, such as medications, may not substantially affect their activity if partner issues also are not addressed."
The researchers also found that African American women were more likely than white women to report at least moderate desire, but less likely to report weekly sexual activity, and sexually active Latinas were more likely than white women to report at least moderate sexual satisfaction.
"Further work is needed to understand the differences in self-reported sexual functioning by race, and how they change as women age. Ultimately, this information should help guide clinicians in discussing sexual problems with women of diverse backgrounds," concluded Huang.
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Source: University of California - San Francisco
