Americans pushing 60, 70, 80 or even 90 don't forgo sex just because they're aging, according a new study that shows many older adults are having sex well into their 70s and 80s.
The University of Chicago study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine is being called the first comprehensive look at the sex lives of older adults in the United States. It portrays an image that researchers say runs counter to the stereotypes of older people as either asexual or "dirty old men."
"Sexuality discussion in later life has long been a taboo subject," says Stacy Tessler Lindau, a gynecologist and the study's lead author. "This study for first time provides information that allows people to see where their experiences align against others of similar health and age status. The data tell the world that older people do not give up sexuality by virtue of their age."
Based on data collected from 3,005 adults ages 57 to 85 during two-hour face-to-face interviews from July 2005 to March 2006, the findings show that many are sexually active as long as their health holds out.
In the preceding 12 months, 73 percent of those ages 57 to 64, 53 percent of those ages 65 to 74 and 26 percent of those ages 75 to 85 said they were sexually active. Among those reporting good or excellent health, 81 percent of men and 51 percent of women said they had been sexually active in the past year versus 47 percent of men and 26 percent of women reporting fair or poor health.
The study, supported by the National Institutes of Health, found that men overall were more likely to have partners in later life and more likely to be sexually active. Older women were less likely to be sexually active because they often outlive their partners and men tend to marry younger women.
The most common reason for sexual inactivity among both men and women was the male partner's physical health problem, the study found. About half of the older adults reported at least one "bothersome" sexual problem; 37 percent of men cited erectile dysfunction and 43 percent of women cited low desire.
Among other findings:
— 54 percent of the oldest sexually active respondents reported having sex at least two to three times a month; 23 percent reported having sex once a week or more.
— 14 percent of men reported taking medication to improve sexual function; 1 percent of women reported taking such drugs.