Yes, sex is important to women and men over 65
![Why do people think otherwise? [Photo: Pexels]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/1_1g8WzxYAgU1roL8WW1xg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/homerun/feed_manager_auto_publish_494/baa22b832b7eea72b47089277a7b1c0b)
Let’s throw the idea that good sex is only for the young out of the window.
Because a study has found that contrary to common belief, sex is a big part of life for women and men aged 65 and above.
According to a US survey, two fifths (40%) of people aged 65 to 80 report being sexually active, while half of those surveyed who have a partner said they still very much get it on.
As part of the University of Michigan’s National Poll on Healthy Ageing, 1,000 participants aged between 65 and 80 were quizzed online about their sex lives.
And the results show that 69% of women and 84% of men believe sex is important to a relationship at any age.
Just over half of men and just under a third of women reported that they were sexually active (by their own definitions of that, anyway).
![Despite this, older people have rarely discussed it with a health provider [Photo: Pexels]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/fZqLODQG0hfByncZqxoPdA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYzNg--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/homerun/feed_manager_auto_publish_494/0a9ce77d314335c06748e5705c90f09c)
This changed with age, however, as while almost half of those aged 65-70 reported being sexually active, just a quarter of those between 76 and 80 did.
One in ten (12%) women also reported having a strong interest in sex, compared to half (50%) of men.
Despite this, only 17% of those surveyed reported talking about it with a health provider in the past two years – even though two thirds said they’d be up for doing so.
“We recognise that sex and sexual health is something that is very important to the health and wellbeing of older people but is not something that gets a lot of attention,” Dr Erica Solway of the University of Michigan told The Guardian.
She added: “We thought this was a unique way to better understand this issue from the perspective of older people.”
Sex can be a big part of life whatever your age – and so can dating. Here’s a guide to online dating after the 50 mark.
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