A recent study by the University of California, San Diego found that elderly women tend to have satisfying sex lives. Nearly two-thirds of women ages 60 and older say they’re moderately to very satisfied with their sexual activity.
As researchers expected, rates of sexual activity fell with age, as did sexual functioning. As they got older, more women reported problems climaxing and difficulties with arousal and desire. Of the partnered or married women, 70% in their 60s reported sexual activity in the last six months. For those in their 70s and 80s, that number was 57% and 31%, respectively.
“Although the levels of sexual activity and functioning did vary significantly depending on the woman’s age, their perceived quality of life, successful aging and sexual satisfaction remained positive,” said Wesley Thompson, a psychiatrist at Stein Institute for Research on Aging at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.
The study was published in the August Journal of the American Geriatric Society.
