Sexual Dysfunction Causes and Aging
Causes For Sexual Dysfunction Change As People Age - Earlier
Experiences With Multiple Partners And STDs Take Their Toll
August 13, 2008
Sexual dysfunction is not an inevitable part of aging, but it is
strongly related a number of factors, such as mental and physical
health, demographics and lifetime experiences, many of which are
interrelated, according to a new study by researchers at the
University of Chicago.
The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, found that
a history of sexually transmitted disease also has an impact on
sexual health later in life. People who had an STD are also more
likely to have had sexual experiences over their lifetimes that
included more risks and multiple sex partners.
"Having had an STD roughly quadruples a woman's odds of reporting
sexual pain and triples her lubrication problems," said Edward
Laumann, the George Herbert Mead Distinguished Service Professor
of Sociology at the University, and lead author of the paper,
"Sexual Dysfunction Among Older Adults: Prevalence and Risk
Factors from a Nationally Representative U.S. Probability Sample
of Men and Women 57 to 85 Years of Age," published in the current
issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine.
Men are more than five times as likely to report sex as
non-pleasurable if they have previously had an STD.
Laumann was joined in writing the paper by University researcher
Aniruddha Das, and Linda Waite, the Lucy Flower Professor in
Sociology at the University.
The study showed that women may be more likely than men to
experience sexual dysfunction because of health issues. The most
common problem for men is erectile dysfunction, a problem that
increases with age.
"The results point to a need for physicians who are treating older
adults experiencing sexual problems to take into account their
physical health and also consider their mental health and their
satisfaction with their intimate relationship in making any
assessment," Laumann said.
The study is based on interviews with a national sample of 1,550
women and 1,455 men, ages 57 to 85, who were part of the 2005-2006
National Social Life, Health and Aging Project, a nationally
representative survey of community-dwelling older U.S. adults. The
survey collected data on social life, sexuality, health, and a
broad range of biological measures.
The study is a companion to a 1999 study Laumann led that looked
at sexual dysfunction among men and women, ages 18 to 59. That
study found that physical health was a bigger predictor of sexual
problems for men than it was for women. For that younger age
group, having an STD did not increase the odds of experiencing
sexual dysfunction.
The new study found that among older women, a common factor
correlated with sexual dysfunction was urinary tract syndrome,
which was associated with decreased interest in sex, as were
mental health issues such as anxiety.
Among men, mental health issues and relationship problems
contributed to a lack of interest in sex and the inability to
achieve orgasm, while being treated for urinary tract syndrome was
associated with trouble maintaining and achieving an erection.
Daily alcohol consumption seems to improve a woman's sexual
health, increasing her interest and pleasure in sex. Among men,
there was no reported impact of alcohol consumption.
Demographic characteristics and cultural factors also are related
to sexual performance, the study found. Hispanic women were twice
as likely to report pain during intercourse. Among men, blacks
were twice as likely to report a lack of interest in sex and more
likely to report climaxing too early.
The National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project is supported
by several components of the National Institutes of Health,
including the National Institute on Aging, the Office of Research
on Women's Health, the Office of AIDS Research and the Office of
Behavioral and Social Sciences Research. The National Opinion
Research Center, whose staff was responsible for the data
collection, also supports the project.
University of Chicago
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