Many are sexually active into 80s, survey finds
Interest still high as people age
WASHINGTON -- Many people maintain rich, active sex lives well into their 80s, according to the first detailed examination of sexuality among older Americans.
The nationally representative survey of more than 3,000 US adults ages 57 to 85 found that more than half to three-quarters of those questioned said they remain sexually active, with a significant proportion engaging in frequent and varied sexual behavior.
Sexual problems do increase with age, and the rate of sexual activity fades somewhat, the survey found. But interest in sex remains high and the frequency remains surprisingly stable among the physically able who still have partners.
"There's a popular perception that older people aren't as interested in sex as younger people," said Stacy Tessler Lindau of the University of Chicago, who led the study being published today in The New England Journal of Medicine. "Our study shows that's simply not true. Older people value sexuality as an important part of life."
The survey found a close link between sex and health, with healthier people reporting the highest rates of sexual activity. In addition to supporting the well-known idea that illness can interfere with sex, that finding suggests that a healthy sex life may itself help keep people vibrant, the researchers said.
"Individuals who remain sexually active gain the benefit of the physical exercise that comes with sex," Lindau said. "It's also possible the hormones -- the endorphins released by orgasms -- give a general sense of well-being that could be beneficial. The psychological benefits of being loved and cared for may also trickle over to physical health."
About 28 percent of men and about 14 percent of women said sex was very important, and about three-quarters of those with partners reported being sexually active, which is about equivalent to what previous research had found for people in their 40s and 50s.
Being sexually active was defined as having had mutually voluntary sexual contact with another person within the past 12 months.
The proportion of those having sex did decline somewhat with age. By ages 75 to 85, it was down to 39 percent of men and 17 percent of women.
"This just shows that the light doesn't go out. The flame doesn't go out," said Todd Semla, president of the American Geriatrics Society. 