Becoming Sexually Active Again as a Senrior Citizen

Sexuality is the way nosotros experience and express ourselves sexually. It involves feelings, desires, actions, and identity, and can include many different types of physical touch or stimulation. Intimacy is a feeling of closeness and connexion in a human relationship that tin can occur with or without a physical component.

Aging brings life transitions that tin can create opportunities for older adults to redefine what sexuality and intimacy hateful to them. Some older adults strive for both a sexual and intimate relationship, some are content with one without the other, and still others may cull to avert these types of connections.

The following information is for older adults who want sexuality and intimacy in their lives. Included are common aging-related challenges and opportunities, and approaches to consider making the almost of private situations in these areas.

What are expected changes?

Sexuality is often affected by one'due south emotional and physical state. How you lot physically feel may touch on what you lot are able to do and how you emotionally feel may affect what you want to do.

Many older couples find greater satisfaction in their sex activity lives than they did when they were younger. They may have fewer distractions, more time and privacy, and no worries about getting pregnant. They too may be meliorate able to express what they desire and need, which can offer an opportunity for greater intimacy and connectedness.

Normal aging besides brings concrete changes that can sometimes interfere with the ability to have and savor sex. As we age, our bodies change, including our weight, pare, and muscle tone. Some older adults don't feel comfy in their aging bodies. They may worry that their partner will no longer observe them bonny. Wellness conditions can cause physical problems, along with stress and worry, that tin get in the mode of intimacy or enjoying a fulfilling sexual practice life.

Two mutual changes that older adults experience are related to the sex organs. The vagina can shorten and narrow, and the vaginal walls tin become thinner and stiffer. For most, there will be less vaginal lubrication, and information technology may have more time for the vagina to naturally lubricate itself. These changes could make certain types of sex activity, such as vaginal penetration, painful or less desirable.

With age, impotence (also chosen erectile dysfunction, or ED) too becomes more than mutual. ED is the loss of ability to have and keep an erection, and the erection may not exist equally firm or equally large as it used to exist. ED is not a problem if it happens every now and and so, but if it occurs often, talk with your medico.

Menopause is some other modify that may affect sexuality and intimacy in older adults. During a woman'due south menopausal transition, which can terminal for a number of years and ends when she has not had a period in 12 months, there may be a variety of symptoms. These tin include hot flashes, trouble falling and staying asleep, and mood changes. The desire to have sex may increment or subtract. Women using hormone therapy to treat hot flashes or other menopausal symptoms may feel a considerable heave in sexual interest and drive.

What causes sexual bug?

Some illnesses, disabilities, medicines, and surgeries tin impact your ability to have and enjoy sex activity.

Booze. As well much alcohol tin can cause erection problems in men and delay orgasm in women.

Arthritis. Articulation pain due to arthritis can brand sexual contact uncomfortable. Practise, drugs, and possibly joint replacement surgery may assist relieve this pain. Rest, warm baths, and changing the position or timing of sexual practice can exist helpful.

Chronic pain. Hurting can interfere with intimacy. Information technology can also cause tiredness and exhaustion, leaving little energy or interest in sex. Chronic pain does non accept to exist part of growing older and tin oftentimes be treated. But, some hurting medicines accept effects on sexual function. E'er talk with your health care provider if you accept side furnishings from whatever medication.

Dementia. People with some forms of dementia may show an increased interest in sex and physical closeness, but they may not be able to judge what is appropriate sexual behavior. People with severe dementia may not recognize their spouse or partner but may still want sexual contact. They may sometimes even seek this with someone else. It can be confusing and difficult to know how to handle this state of affairs. Talking with a doctor, nurse, or social worker with grooming in dementia care may be helpful.

Depression. Lack of interest in activities you used to bask, such as intimacy and sexual activity, tin can exist a symptom of low. If y'all think y'all're depressed, talk with your health care provider near possible treatments that will non further interfere with desire.

Diabetes. This is one of the illnesses that can cause ED. In virtually cases, medical handling can help. When not well controlled, diabetes can lead to yeast infections, which tin can cause itching and irritation and make sex uncomfortable or undesirable.

Heart disease. Narrowing and hardening of the arteries can change blood vessels so that blood does non flow freely. For some, it may have longer to go aroused, and it may be difficult to have or maintain an erection. Every bit a consequence, this can arrive difficult to achieve an orgasm. People who have had a heart attack, or their partners, may be afraid that having sexual practice will cause another cardiovascular incident. Even though sexual activity is generally condom, e'er follow your doctor's advice.

Incontinence. Loss of bladder control or leaking of urine is more than common as people grow older. Actress force per unit area on the belly during sex can cause urine to leak. This tin be helped by changing positions or by elimination the bladder before and later sex. The expert news is that incontinence may be treated with medical treatments, bladder control training, and behavioral and lifestyle changes.

Medications. Some drugs can cause side effects that interfere with sex, such as ED, difficulty ejaculating, difficulty with arousal and orgasm, reduced sexual want, and vaginal dryness. Drugs that can crusade these problems include some blood pressure medicines, antihistamines, antidepressants and drugs for other mental wellness conditions, sedatives, medications for Parkinson's disease or cancer, appetite suppressants, and anti-ulcer drugs. If you experience any of these side furnishings, check with your health care provider to come across if at that place is a dissimilar drug you could take.

Obesity. People who are afflicted by excess weight or obesity besides have an increased take chances of erection problems.

Peyronie's disease. This is a disorder in which scar tissue forms nether the skin of the penis and pulls on the surrounding tissues, causing the penis to curve or curve, usually during an erection. Curves in the penis can make erections painful and may make sexual intercourse painful, difficult, or impossible. If you are afflicted by Peyronie's disease, discuss treatment options with a medico.

Stroke. The ability to have sex is sometimes affected by a stroke. A alter in positions or medical devices may aid people with ongoing weakness or paralysis to have sex activity. Some people with paralysis from the waist down are even so able to experience orgasm and pleasure.

Surgery. Any kind of surgery tin cause worry, and this tin exist fifty-fifty more troubling when the breasts or genital areas are involved, such as with the surgeries listed beneath. Most people are able to return to the kind of sex life they enjoyed before surgery. For some, these types of surgeries may even aid them to increase their sex life options.

• Hysterectomy is a surgery performed to remove the uterus because of pain, bleeding, fibroids, or other reasons. Oftentimes, when the person is older, the ovaries are likewise removed during this procedure. Deciding whether to have this surgery can exit both women and their partners worried most their future sex life. If you're concerned about whatsoever changes you lot might experience with hysterectomy, talk with your gynecologist or surgeon. Yous may also wish to talk with other people who have had this process.
• Mastectomy is the removal of all or office of a breast, ofttimes because of breast cancer or cancer prevention. This surgery may crusade some people to lose their sexual involvement, or it may leave them feeling less desirable or attractive. If you are considering chest reconstruction, y'all can discuss this with your cancer health care provider or surgeon. In add-on to talking with your doctor, sometimes information technology is useful to talk with other people who take had this surgery.
• Prostatectomy is surgery that removes all or function of the prostate, usually because of cancer or an enlarged prostate. It may cause urinary incontinence or ED. If y'all need this performance, talk with your health intendance provider before surgery about your concerns.

For some people, talking with their wellness care provider nigh sexual issues may experience uncomfortable. It's of import to recollect that these are topics your doctor needs to hear about to treat you well-nigh effectively. Yous may also consider speaking with other physical and mental wellness professionals, such as a nurse or therapist. Many health care providers now use online patient portals through which people may feel more comfortable opening a discussion with their health care team.

Are you too old to worry about safe sexual practice?

Historic period does non protect y'all from sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Older people who are sexually agile may be at risk for diseases including syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydial infection, genital herpes, hepatitis B, genital warts, and trichomoniasis.

People who are sexually active, no matter their age, may also be at adventure of being infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. In fact, the number of older people with HIV/AIDS is growing. You lot are at chance for HIV/AIDS if you or your partner has more than one sexual partner, if y'all are having unprotected sex, or if either you or your partner is sharing needles.

To protect yourself, always utilize a condom during vaginal or anal sex and apply a dental dam or other barrier method during oral sex activity. Learn more most using condoms, dental dams, and other ways you can prevent STDs.

Talk with your health care provider well-nigh ways to protect yourself from STDs and infections during your regular check-ups and if you lot have whatever concerns between visits. Remember, you are never too one-time to be at risk.

What can you do?

There are approaches you can accept for an active and enjoyable sex life. If you take a partner, talk openly with them most the changes y'all are experiencing, and try non to blame yourself or your partner. Take time to relish each other and to sympathise the changes you both may be facing. This time in your life can exist an opportunity to course more intimate bonds and explore your sexual relationship in a new way.

You may besides detect it helpful to talk with a therapist, either lone or with your partner. Some therapists have special grooming in helping people with sexual problems. If yous sense changes in your partner's mental attitude toward sexual practice, don't presume they are no longer interested in you or in having an active sex life with you. Many of the things that crusade sexual problems in older adults tin be rectified.

For example, if you lot are experiencing pain due to vaginal dryness, your health intendance professional or a pharmacist can suggest over-the-counter lubricants or moisturizers to use. Water-based lubricants tin be used to brand sex more comfortable, whereas moisturizers can exist used regularly over time to replenish moisture and reduce dryness. Your provider also might propose prescription hormones, such as a vaginal estrogen, or nonhormone medications that are also approved past the U.S. Nutrient and Drug Administration to treat painful sex.

If ED is the problem, it tin can often exist managed with medications or other treatments. A health care professional may propose lifestyle changes, such as limiting alcohol or increasing physical activity, to help reduce ED. A health care professional may also prescribe testosterone for people with low levels of this hormone. Although taking testosterone may aid with ED, it may also lead to serious side effects and can affect how other medicines work. Make sure to talk with your wellness intendance provider near testosterone therapy and testing your testosterone levels. Be wary of any dietary or herbal supplements promising to treat ED. These products may take dangerous side effects or interact with prescription medicines. Always talk to a health intendance provider earlier taking any herb or supplement. Another of import reason to come across your health care provider for ED is that it may be a sign of an underlying wellness trouble that should be treated, such every bit clogged blood vessels or nerve damage from diabetes.

Physical issues can change your sex life equally yous get older. If yous are single, dating may be easier after in life when y'all're more than confident and sure of what y'all want. If yous're in a relationship, y'all and your partner may discover new ways to be together as you abound older. Talk to your partner or partners nigh your needs.

Read almost this topic in Spanish. Lea sobre este tema en español.

For more data about sexuality and intimacy in older adults

The World Professional person Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) www.wpath.org

This content is provided past the NIH National Institute on Aging (NIA). NIA scientists and other experts review this content to ensure it is accurate and upwardly to date.

Content reviewed: April 18, 2022

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Source: https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/sexuality-later-life

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