Until when it is possible to have sexual relations? The simple answer is that there is no age limit, because it depends on many factors. One’s sex life is a very private and personal matter.
For women, life expectancy has increased significantly in recent years and menopause now represents nearly a third of their lives. The onset of menopause is at around 50 to 55 years of age, while the average life expectancy for a woman can be 85. There are hormonal changes during this period; for instance, there is a decrease in estrogen, a hormone that stimulates sexual desire and ensures that genitals are in optimal condition. Obviously, this plays a role in desire and in the nature of sexual relations during this period of their lives.
Therefore, the age at which women stop having sexual relations is adaptable: each woman will adapt to the situation depending on what kind of partner she has, on her own interests, on what hormonal phase she is in, and whether she is on hormone replacement therapy. Additionally, there could be organic problems: breast cancer or other types of tumors, incontinence…and these organic factors typically play a big role in the quality of sexual relations.
As for men, they do not go through menopause like women do, and their testosterone levels remain constant throughout their lives, leading to a sustained sexual desire. In fact, there are 80-year-old men who father children. But men can also suffer from organic problems that affect their sex lives, from prostate cancer to high blood pressure or diabetes treatments. These are all factors that make erections difficult.
Besides hormonal and organic factors, there are psychological elements involved in sexual desire, both for men and women. It is not the same to live with the same person for 40 or 50 years as it is to be with someone new.
The solution offered by professionals to some of the problems faced by older women is often hormone replacement therapy. There are several forms of administration, from oral to vaginal, and they can help resolve issues such as low sex drive and vaginal dryness. And in the last decade there has been a lot of progress on intimate cosmetic surgery, which some patients are benefiting from physically and psychologically.
In short, there is no set upper limit for sexual relations, as long as people are feeling good and have the desire for it. But it is a fact of life that problems tend to arise with the passing of the years that could make it difficult to have a fulfilling sex life. That is what health professionals are there for, to help find solutions.
Ana Ezquerra Giménez is a gynecologist
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