Older people and sex
Yes, sex! There is no written rule anywhere stating that after 65 we should not have sex. We probably shouldn’t talk too much about it. We do not walk to surprise the “young”. If you are healthy and continue to take care of your body, there is no reason why you should not have a healthy sex life. Of course, it is always good to have a good partner, spouse, partner, friend to have sex with (but it is not always necessary).
TIP: Don’t give up on having sex:
Many years ago, I met a wonderful and wise woman in her 90s who had read an article about me in the local newspaper doing hypnosis. I wanted to learn self-hypnosis to use in the dentist’s office. She was an excellent student and ended up teaching many others to do self-hypnosis. During our sessions I learned a lot about her life and about her life with her now deceased husband. One day he leaned over to 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 would he know?” I laughed and told him that I 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’re not judging me.” Judge her? I thought it was amazing that I still have orgasms at 93. She leaned in again to admit she was single and did she still think she was okay? I smiled and said, “You would make many women over 65 jealous, if they knew one of the reasons why you are so constantly satisfied with life.”
Men tend to have erection problems as they age, due to medications, health problems, weight, or alcohol. Today there is a lot of help with that problem. Cialis, Viagra, Levitra, Spedra, and Staxyn are medications that might help. See a urologist if your erections go away. You should be able to have a healthy sex life years and years after your retirement.
TIP: If you are single and have sex with other people, be careful:
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and HIV are not exclusively for younger people. In fact, there is a large increase in the transmission of STDs and HIV among the population over 65 years of age. So, protect yourself and be safe. If you are sexually active and single, make sure your primary care doctor knows about it, so they can get the proper blood work done with your regular blood work.