Older Adults and Sex
Yes, sex! There is no written rule anywhere that says after the age of 65 we should not have sex. We probably shouldn’t talk about it too much. We do not walk to surprise the “young”. If you’re healthy and continue to take care of your body, there’s no reason you shouldn’t have a healthy sex life. Of course, it’s always nice to have a good partner, spouse, partner, friend to have sex with (but not always necessary).
HINT: Don’t stop having sex:
Many years ago, I met a wonderful and wise woman in her early 90s who had read an article about me doing hypnosis in the local paper. I wanted to learn self-hypnosis to use in the dentist’s office. She was an excellent student and she ended up teaching many others to practice self-hypnosis. During our sessions I learned a lot about her life and about her life with her now deceased husband. She one day she leaned into me quite intimately and said, “Dr. Travis, is it okay if I have sex?” She was very, very religious and I asked her if she had asked her priest. She said, “What will he know?” I laughed and told him that he believed that if you don’t hurt anyone, God gave us that body to use and enjoy. She sighed, smiled, and said, “I’m so relieved you didn’t judge me.” Judge her? I thought it was amazing that she was still having orgasms at 93 years old. She leaned in again to admit that she didn’t have a partner, and did she still think she was okay? I smiled and said, “You would make a lot of women over the age of 65 jealous if they knew one of the reasons why you are so consistently satisfied with life.”
Men tend to have erection problems as they get older, due to medications, health problems, weight, or alcohol. There is a great deal of help with that problem today. Cialis, Viagra, Levitra, Spedra, and Staxyn are medications that could help. Just go to a urologist if your erections go away. You should be able to have a healthy sex life for years and years after you retire.
TIP: If you are single and having sex with other people, be careful:
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and HIV are not exclusive to young people. In fact, there is a large increase in the transmission of STDs and HIV among the population over 65 years of age. Therefore, protect yourself and be safe. If you’re sexually active and single, make sure your primary care doctor knows this, so you can get the proper blood work done with your regular blood work.
