Serene and ageless sexuality

Love has no age. Not even sex. As long as you live it naturally and know how to deal serenely with any small problems that may arise over the years.

But how to do it? Taking them simply for what they are: physiological changes in one’s body that can be managed and, at least in part, overcome with a little sensitivity, irony and patience.

In this way it will be possible to have an active sex life even in old age, which seems to happen in most cases: according to a Censis research of 2000, 73.4% of people between 61 and 70 years declared to have a sexually active life, as well as 39.1% of people aged between 71 and 80 years.

Also thanks to the advances in medicine that allow you to have therapies and aids available to stay healthy and better face the consequences of physical changes that occur in women and men especially after the age of 50 and that can have repercussions on passion and pleasure and therefore negatively affect intimacy and the couple’s relationship and, Sometimes, even jeopardize the holding of a marriage.

The first, fundamental, point to take into account, in fact, is that whatever the difficulty in question is not a problem of a single partner, but of the couple and that the solution can only be reached in two.

First, by talking about it openly, without fear and without feeling hurt in self-love. So, supporting each other, even in the search for specific medical help.

Sex at 50 and beyond: its benefits are studied

Sex life after the age of 50 is no longer taboo. It is in fact increasingly active, it is talked about more and more and, even at a scientific level, it is increasingly the subject of study, especially to evaluate its positive and negative effects.

For example, in 2016 two psychology experts from the Universities of Oxford and Coventry conducted a study, published in the scientific journal Age and ageing, on the relationship between sexual activity and cognitive performance in old age, highlighting how sexually active adults score higher on some tests that measure cognitive abilities.

The same scholars then conducted further research, published in 2017 in the scientific journal Journals of Gerontology, which involved 73 individuals between 50 and 83 years old, with the aim of evaluating in particular the impact of the frequency of sexual intercourse on cognitive performance. From this second study a further confirmation emerged: among the “less young”, those who have more frequent sex (on a weekly basis) obtain greater cognitive benefits than those who have more sporadic intercourse.

The female perspective

Usually, for both men and women, the first drawbacks begin around the age of 50. For women it is the period of the extinction of fertile age and the onset of menopause, with all that follows on the physical and psychological level.

The reduction in the production of female hormones (estrogen) is accompanied by a decrease in desire and less satisfying sexual intercourse (sometimes even painful) due to less lubrication and changes in the vaginal mucosa.

In addition, for a certain period (climacteric) a whole series of annoyances tend to arise that can indirectly interfere with the couple’s life: from nervousness to hot flashes, from fatigue to depression, to the reduction of self-esteem. The woman can experience mood drops and experience negative feelings, partly always due to the drop in estrogen, which consequently also reduces the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that, among others, has the task of maintaining a balanced mood level.

Talking about these difficulties with your partner, as well as with your doctor and gynecologist is the best way to reduce discomfort and face this phase of life in a positive way on all fronts, in the knowledge that things will soon improve.

On a practical level, if the use of hormone replacement therapy is not indicated (provided only in case of simultaneous high risk of osteoporosis), to alleviate the symptoms you can rely on supplements based on soy phytoestrogens (plant analogues of female hormones) and local remedies, such as emollient creams and lubricating gels.

Not to mention that healthy eating, adequate sleep and regular physical activity can offer substantial help, especially in terms of mood. Practicing fitness (especially aerobic) regularly releases endorphins, substances that give a dose of positive euphoria, while a diet that favors fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole grains and fish allows you to fill up on nutrients (such as zinc, magnesium, some amino acids, B vitamins and omega 3) that act positively in various ways on mood.

Vulvovaginal atrophy: the biggest obstacle for her

As anticipated, the sexual desire of the woman after menopause is negatively affected by the drop in estrogen. In particular, vulvovaginal atrophy seems to be the number one enemy of female sexuality after the age of 50: it is the progressive modification of the structure of vaginal tissue and nearby organs as a result of estrogen deficiency which, normally, nourish the tissue, making it thicker, elastic and lubricated. This phenomenon is accompanied by irritation, burning and itching, due to rubbing of the vaginal walls and dryness, caused by the reduction of vaginal secretions. All this can also lead to dyspareunia (annoying and painful sexual intercourse) and the fear of suffering during penetration can further contribute to reducing libido.

Vulvovaginal atrophy can be addressed with different treatments:

Finally, for some years, to regain intimate well-being, there is also another treatment option, namely a cycle of laser therapy treatments that uses a fractional CO2 laser. The laser pulses, directed on the vaginal tissue, trigger physiological processes of repair and rejuvenation: that is, the production of new collagen is stimulated, improving the elasticity of the vaginal mucosa and the functionality of the treated area. The treatment lasts from 15 to 30 minutes and few outpatient sessions are required.

The male side

Around 50, even men have to deal with a first drop in the production of male hormones (especially testosterone), accompanied by an initial reduction in the efficiency of the cardiovascular and muscular apparatus that contributes to making it less ready to start and support the effort (because it is effort) of the sexual act.

Later, usually after 60-65, these problems can be added to these problems related to prostate disorders and, sometimes, to cardiorespiratory diseases.

What to do? Once again talk about it with your partner, and try to understand if the physical failures depend on more general couple problems or if it is just an organic phenomenon.

In both cases, the help of an experienced doctor (the andrologist and / or psychologist) can facilitate the characterization of the discomfort and the identification of an ideal solution for both partners, after excluding or correctly dealing with any specific diseases.

Pharmacological remedies against erectile dysfunction can play an important role in overcoming a blockage that, starting as purely physical, can soon become above all psychological.

Erection deficit: enemy number one for him

One of the main problems that can compromise male sexuality after the age of 50 is precisely the inability to achieve and maintain an erection good enough to allow a satisfactory sexual intercourse. We are talking about erectile dysfunction.

This disorder can strike at all ages, but it becomes more frequent with aging (it is estimated that it can affect up to 40% of men between 60 and 70 years and even touch one in two men over 70).

For years it was believed that at the origin there were only psychological problems, while today it is known that, although they can affect, they are often determined or accompanied by organic alterations.

Since both blood circulation and nerve stimuli come into play in erection, among the organic factors that can trigger it are all those diseases that cause vascular damage or neurological damage, but also hormonal causes and, sometimes, surgical or pharmacological treatments that interfere in various ways with erectile mechanisms.

Moreover, erectile dysfunction, in addition to depending on cardiovascular diseases, shares with them a series of risk factors, such as smoking, obesity, sedentary lifestyle and hypertension. Indeed, it can often be considered an early symptom of systemic cardiovascular diseases and therefore represent an alarm bell that is essential not to underestimate. Very often, however, man is ashamed of it and does not talk about it with specialists or even in the family; That is why it is often the woman who has to convince her husband to undergo a check-up by the urologist or andrologist.

Yet, erection problems, if addressed adequately, can be solved: if the dysfunction is of predominantly organic origin, a specific treatment is needed for erectile deficit associated with the treatment of related or underlying diseases and the correction of any wrong habits. Or, if psychological and/or relational factors are recognized, psychotherapy and/or sexological therapy, including couples, may be useful.

As for the specific treatment of erectile deficiency, this varies depending on the severity: generally the most prescribed medicines are inhibitors of the enzyme 5-phosphodiesterase, drugs in tablets (currently there are four different active ingredients) that block the activity of an enzyme that is found mainly in the smooth muscle cells of the cavernous bodies of the penis, inducing relaxation of the latter and thus facilitating the flow of blood and erection. When they are contraindicated (or there is no residual erectile activity) the doctor may prescribe injections of prostaglandins with vasodilatory action. Finally, in the most serious cases, when drugs are not sufficient, the surgical route remains, with the use of specific prostheses.

Are you ready for a stable relationship? Here’s the quiz you need to find out.