Sex Important For Older Women

Study Says Sex Doesn't Have To End After Menopause

(WebMD)  "Older women are probably the most sexual women alive," Shaw says. "They are not acrobatic, but they are very sensual, very sexual. They know how to use their bodies, and, when they have a partner, they are very active sexually."

Bashuk encourages women who want sex but who have sexual problems to talk with their doctor about it. He also encourages doctors to have these discussions with older women — just as they would with younger women.

Often, Addis points out, the issue isn't a medical problem, it's a relationship problem.

"I am a gynecologist, not a psychologist, but I certainly ask patients with sexual problems about their relationship," Addis says. "And a lot of patients, when you get down to it, their sexual dysfunction is they are unhappy with their partner."

Sources: Addis, I.B. Obstetrics & Gynecology, July 2005; vol 106: pp 121-127. Ilana B. Addis, MD, MPH, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson. Jeanne Shaw, PhD, clinical psychologist; and certified sex therapist, Atlanta. Stephen Bashuk, MD, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, Emory University, Atlanta.