Libido in aging men. Men want to, but can they?
April 12, 2011 by Dr. Marc Darrow, M.D.
Filed under Diabetes, Libido
Researchers writing in the medical journal Urology examined questionnaires returned by over 15,000 aging men and found that moderate or severe sexual symptoms occurred in 20% of men 40 to 44 years and that significant symptoms increased with age up to 67% in the men 65 to 69 years.
Mäkinen JI, Perheentupa A, Raitakari OT, et al. Sexual symptoms in aging men indicate poor life satisfaction and increased health service consumption Urology. 2007 Dec;70(6):1194-9.
Other researchers writing in The Journal of Sexual Medicine examined sexual function in older adults and noted that 41% of the men were sexually active with an average age of 81 +/- 6 years. The men who were not sexual active reported ED as the main reason why. They concluded desire for sexual activity remained high among men, despite substantial problems with ED.
Smith LJ, Mulhall JP, Deveci S, Monaghan N, Reid MC. Sex after seventy: a pilot study of sexual function in older persons. J Sex Med. 2007 Sep;4(5):1247-53.
It is important to understand that dysfunction is not an inevitable aspect of getting older. In fact, it’s more of a side effect of lifestyle than aging.
I always advise men, even those who have great sex drives, to take a more proactive approach to their sexual health.
You may be asking yourself, “If it works, why fix it,” right? There is a remarkable connection between health and sexual performance and the sooner you take an active approach to your health the better off your sex life will be in the future.
My initial advice to a man wanting to preserve or restore his sexual function is, instead of drugs, tie on your running shoes and change your nutrition. The old adage, “You are what you eat” rings true for sexual health and performance. Nutrition and exercise control the entire physiology of your body, and what you eat and do reflects in your ability to perform in bed.
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