Age is Just a Number: Study Reveals Sex Improves as Women Get Older

Based on interviews with 39 women between the ages of 46 and 59, a group of researchers led by Dr. Holly Thomas concluded that, although the frequency of sex may decline as women grow older, the quality improves.

"We were surprised to find a group of women who said that sex actually got better for them as they got older," Thomas said. "As doctors we were assuming that sex gets worse for women."

Most of the interviewees explained that their sex life has improved due to better knowledge of their bodies and the fact that they were less hesitant to ask their partners for what they wanted.

"They felt more comfortable in their own skins." Thomas said. "And they felt more comfortable and empowered to communicate their sexual needs to their partner than when they were younger."

In another revelation, women named low libido or erectile dysfunction in their male partners as one of the major reasons that they were not satisfied with their sex life.

The new research builds on the results of Thomas' previous survey which showed that women over 60 were having sex much more often than it is commonly thought.  

"People assume as women get older, they automatically become sexually inactive and sex is not as important to them, which isn't necessarily the case," Thomas told HealthDay.

A similar study initiated by a professor in the departments of reproductive biology and psychiatry at the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, Sheryl Kingsberg, backs Thomas' findings. According to Kingsberg, a majority of the 505 middle-aged women participating in the survey said, "sexual activity was important to their overall quality of life."

Both studies were presented Wednesday at the annual meeting of the North American Menopause Society.