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VANCOUVER, British Columbia / The Vancouver Sun / Health / Seniors / July 27, 2009
By Amy O’Brian, Vancouver Sun
Nearly half of the people surveyed said their sexual inhibitions
have decreased since they turned 50, and more than a quarter
said the quality of their sex life has improved since turning 50.
File photo CNS
A recent survey is debunking the myth that one’s sex life dries up with age.
The survey found that many Canadians over the age of 50 report having adventurous, frisky — and even “ferocious” — sex as they get older.
As kids leave home and people move toward retirement, life stresses often ease up and inhibitions are shed, all of which makes for a renewed interest in sex.
“On the positive side, it looks like a lot of people are more adventurous. They say the quality of their sexual activity is better, and they have less inhibition,” said
Dr. Stacy Elliott, director of the British Columbia Centre for Sexual Medicine at Vancouver General Hospital. “It’s refreshing to see something out there that’s positive about sexuality and aging.”
Nearly half of the people surveyed said their sexual inhibitions have decreased since they turned 50, and more than a quarter said the quality of their sex life has improved since turning 50.
More than half of the respondents said they wished their sex life was more spontaneous.
Elliott said the survey results are an accurate reflection of what she sees in her practice, where she sees many men who are interested in improving their sex lives, but also suffer from erectile dysfunction.
It is estimated that one in three Canadian men over the age of 40 suffer from some degree of erectile dysfunction, but Elliott said treatments have improved drastically in the past decade or so.
In her practice, treatments include medication, vacuum devices and penile injections. The oral medications were first introduced to the market in 1998 and have improved since then to include a daily pill that a man can take with his morning vitamins, rather than in the heat of the moment.
“The daily pill dissociates being sexual with taking a pill,” Elliott said. “And it means that you’re always prepared, so that’s a big factor in spontaneity and freedom as men get older, instead of planning everything out to a tee.”
The survey, which was conducted online between April 14 and April 20, was sponsored by Eli Lilly Canada, the maker of a daily pill to treat erectile dysfunction. Interviewed were 1,510 respondents over the age of 18, 494 of them older than 50. The margin of error for the respondents over 50 is plus or minus 4.4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
Elliott described the renewed interest in sex among mid-lifers as a “reinvigoration,” but emphasized that it’s not universal among all people over 50.
“I think if you’re really bushwhacked from life’s stressors, sex doesn’t necessarily percolate to the top of your priority list,” she said.
But if sex is not a personal priority or concern, Elliott said there is no reason to worry.
“I don’t want people to think, ‘I’m not sexual. What’s the matter with me?’ If they’re happy with that, that’s fine.” [
rc]
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
Nearly half of the people surveyed said their sexual inhibitions
have decreased since they turned 50, and more than a quarter
said the quality of their sex life has improved since turning 50.
File photo CNS
A recent survey is debunking the myth that one’s sex life dries up with age.
The survey found that many Canadians over the age of 50 report having adventurous, frisky — and even “ferocious” — sex as they get older.
As kids leave home and people move toward retirement, life stresses often ease up and inhibitions are shed, all of which makes for a renewed interest in sex.
“On the positive side, it looks like a lot of people are more adventurous. They say the quality of their sexual activity is better, and they have less inhibition,” said Dr. Stacy Elliott, director of the British Columbia Centre for Sexual Medicine at Vancouver General Hospital. “It’s refreshing to see something out there that’s positive about sexuality and aging.”
Nearly half of the people surveyed said their sexual inhibitions have decreased since they turned 50, and more than a quarter said the quality of their sex life has improved since turning 50.
More than half of the respondents said they wished their sex life was more spontaneous.
Elliott said the survey results are an accurate reflection of what she sees in her practice, where she sees many men who are interested in improving their sex lives, but also suffer from erectile dysfunction.
It is estimated that one in three Canadian men over the age of 40 suffer from some degree of erectile dysfunction, but Elliott said treatments have improved drastically in the past decade or so.
In her practice, treatments include medication, vacuum devices and penile injections. The oral medications were first introduced to the market in 1998 and have improved since then to include a daily pill that a man can take with his morning vitamins, rather than in the heat of the moment.
“The daily pill dissociates being sexual with taking a pill,” Elliott said. “And it means that you’re always prepared, so that’s a big factor in spontaneity and freedom as men get older, instead of planning everything out to a tee.”
The survey, which was conducted online between April 14 and April 20, was sponsored by Eli Lilly Canada, the maker of a daily pill to treat erectile dysfunction. Interviewed were 1,510 respondents over the age of 18, 494 of them older than 50. The margin of error for the respondents over 50 is plus or minus 4.4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
Elliott described the renewed interest in sex among mid-lifers as a “reinvigoration,” but emphasized that it’s not universal among all people over 50.
“I think if you’re really bushwhacked from life’s stressors, sex doesn’t necessarily percolate to the top of your priority list,” she said.
But if sex is not a personal priority or concern, Elliott said there is no reason to worry.
“I don’t want people to think, ‘I’m not sexual. What’s the matter with me?’ If they’re happy with that, that’s fine.” [rc]
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
