OUR SEXUAL JOURNEY AS OLDER ADULTS: PHYSICAL CHANGES
In American culture, we have a myth that sexuality is only related to procreation. According to this myth, once our reproductive years are over, we are no longer sexual people. Many people mistakenly believe that it is unacceptable for older people to have sexual needs or to express themselves sexually. The truth is that we all remain sexual throughout our lives, even in old age.
There are two basic requirements for maintaining healthy sexual capacity in old age. The first is maintaining good physical and mental health. The second is to keep having regular sexual activity. “Use it or lose it” still applies to women and men in the later years of life. The more sexually active that people remain in their later years, the healthier and more enjoyable their sexual activities become.
In the later years of life, well-established relationships may evolve and blossom into more intimate relationships. For older adults, love relationships may slowly transform from passionate love into deep and intimate companionate love. On the other hand, old friendships may become romantic and sexual. Opportunities for sexual expression may decrease or increase. But the quality of sexual activity may become more important than the quantity.
As with our entire sexual journey, there are physical changes that affect the sex lives of older women and men. Understanding these changes can reduce performance anxiety and the feeling that one has become useless and unattractive.
Women go through specific physical changes that affect their sexuality. After menopause, the vaginal walls become thinner, a process that continues into the senior years. The thinner walls can’t absorb the pressure from a thrusting penis as well as they could in youth. This pressure on the vaginal walls is also pressure on the urethra and bladder. These tissues can become irritated. As a result, older women may feel the need to urinate immediately after sexual intercourse.
The vagina also shrinks in width and length. The labia majora also shrink. Because of the smaller size, insertion of the penis may be difficult or painful. Women also continue to experience hormonal imbalances in their later years. These imbalances may cause the natural uterine contractions that occur during orgasm to become painful. It is important to remember, however, that a woman in her 80s has the same capacity for orgasm that she did at 30.
Physical changes affect men as well. Good circulation is essential to getting an erection, but with old age, there is usually a hardening of the arteries. This change in circulation may make it take longer to become erect. In addition, older men experience fewer morning erections. There is also a longer refractory period after orgasm for men.
It may take up to 24 hours before an older man can get another erection. Muscle tension and sex flush also diminish with age.
The volume and force of ejaculation also decrease. Sperm, however, are still viable and can fertilize an egg. Older men can generally control their orgasms better and can make sex last longer than younger men.
Many of these changes can be dealt with easily. Vaginal lubricants and extended foreplay can ease lubrication and erection problems. Women and men retain the capacity and desire for sexual expression throughout their entire lives. The natural changes of the body do not erase our ability to maintain rewarding sex lives. Our options may change, however. We depend more on sex play, such as masturbation, kissing, embracing, stroking, and oral sex, or on alternative sexual positions.
Medication can have a major impact on our sex lives. Older adults especially may be taking a variety of medication for heart problems or arthritis. Because older people are so often considered sexless, it is common for medications to be prescribed without regard to their potential side effects on sexual functioning. Some tranquilizers, antidepressants, and medications for high blood pressure or arthritis can have an inhibiting effect on sexual desire and arousal.
All side effects of medication should be discussed with our health care providers. Often adjustments and substitutions can be made. Before having surgery, especially surgery that involves the heart or the reproductive organs, it is important to thoroughly educate ourselves on the possible effects the surgery may have on our sexuality.
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Tags: Men’s Health
This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 17th, 2009 at 12:17 pm and is filed under Men's Health-Erectile Dysfunction. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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