Today, as the attitudes and opinions are changing towards sex and aging. It comes as no surprise that older adults are active sexually and want to continue sharing their lives and be in a fulfilling relationship. However, owning up to the fact that aging is responsible for a lot of physical as well as mental changes in our bodies, it is very important that you work towards maintaining your sexual health as you age. Given below are some tips on how to maintain your sexual health.

 Stay active:

Staying active is the key to an satisfying sexual life. As you age, your hormone levels drop and your metabolism rates also drop causing weight gain.  You also lose bone and muscle mass with aging and this in turn could lead to numerous health issues concerning bones, muscles and joints. Your energy and stamina levels also decrease with age. This is where an active life helps. Staying active could mean exercising regularly, joining a masters swimming club, signing up for a local bike ride event, taking up aerobics sessions or yoga sessions and more. When you stay active and exercise, it not only helps you reduce and regulate your weight but it also reduces muscle and joint pain, strengthens the bones, and slows down the loss of muscle mass. It also improves your balance and mobility. As it has to be a regular activity it is very important that you choose something that you enjoy doing frequently.

For people who love to take a ride on their bike, Active.com organizes local bike rides. Swimming is also another activity that you can engage in as it offers a full body work out which has low impact especially for people who have weight limitations, arthritis and other issues. Brisk walks or working in the yard or washing and waxing your car also help. Whether it is a regularly scheduled exercise class that you enjoy participating in or it is increasing your daily activities that you prefer, remember it is never too late to start exercising.

Watch what you eat:

Leading an active lifestyle alone will not boost your sexual health if you do not complement it with a healthy diet. Cut back on food items that have a high content of cholesterol, trans-fats, saturated fats, added sugars and sodium. Be sure to include a lot of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and more. Remember to stay hydrated and drink a lot of water and other fluids. Whole grains, fruits, nuts, legumes, vegetables and seeds are a good source of vitamins and minerals and are high in fiber thus aiding your digestion process and keeping you healthy. They are also high on anti-oxidants which battle free radicals that cause cell damage in the body. Fish and olive oil should also be a part of your diet.  Fish is a good source of protein and has omega-3 fats, which reduces plaque buildup in your arteries. Olive oil is free of trans-fats and is heart healthy.

Reduce stress:

As you age you will also have to learn to reduce stress. Not only does stress increase the gastric acid it also triggers numerous digestive disorders and well as health issues. Take up a new hobby or practice meditation every day as it helps reduce stress. While exercising also focus on breathing techniques as well as other relaxation techniques as this helps reduce stress. Adequate amount of sleep is also important if you want to deal with stress. Take care not to overwork yourself with office responsibilities. Maintain a good work life balance as it helps regulate stress.

Sex is a healthy part of aging and it is a fact that the world is waking up to. However this was not a widely accepted belief just few years back. People all over the world believed that sex and aging could not go hand in hand due to the umpteen changes that take place in a person’s body while he or she ages. People believed that their body does not work well and since there is a decline in libido, sex matters less when people grow older.

However today, there are studies that prove that the attitude of seniors towards sex is changing and an increasing number of seniors actually enjoy a healthy sex life. Seniors also admit that sex is an important part of ageing and they are willingly working towards tackling all the issues of ageing in order to maintain a healthy sex life. The main reason for this changing attitude is the change in activity patterns, diet patterns as well as new medical treatments – these ensure that people in their seniors are relatively healthy and lead and active life.

There are studies that have shown that an individual’s sex drive does not diminish with age. In anything the entire experience becomes more satisfying as individuals enter their senior years. It is also believed that sex contributes to both the psychological as well as physical health of the elderly.

In case of men, they are at the peak of their sexual health when they are 18 and from there on they begin to experience a slow decline. By the time they are 40 and as they proceed to their 50’s and 60’s most men experience a decrease in sexual performance. However the pleasure that men derive from sex is not significantly affected as they age.

As far as women are concerned they are capable of sexual reproduction with the start of puberty, when they are 14 or 15 years old. As women age, with the diminishing hormones, the vaginal lubricants production decreases, the vaginal walls become rigid and thin thereby making sex uncomfortable. However women are capable of achieving an orgasm well into their senior years and women who are sexually active do not face any issues with vaginal lubrication up until menopause.  With menopause menstruation, ovulation as well as fertility ends and it has been believed that a woman’s interest in sex also wanes post menopause. However this belief does not hold true in recent years as there are reports of women enjoying sex post menopause as they do not have to worry about getting pregnant any more.

Apart from these physical changes, as individuals move into their senior years they also face issues with their body as well as their health. They become susceptible to diseases and they need to take extra care of what they eat and the kind of lifestyle they lead and more.

Given these changing attitudes of individuals towards sex and aging, more and more individuals work hard to maintain their sexual health as they get older. People no longer hesitate to follow a disciplined lifestyle and control their alcohol consumption, avoid smoking as well as manage stress in such a way that it does not affect their sexual health. There are a number of individuals who take up a new hobby or attending yoga classes to deal with daily stress. They also realize the importance of staying active and this is achieved by exercising regularly, drinking plenty of fluids and eating a healthy diet because not only does an active lifestyle helps in controlling fat, but it also causes feel good hormones to be released in the body which in turn contributes to better sex life.

Every woman will experience vaginal dryness at some point. The female body is designed to create extra lubrication in the reproductive area to protect the fragility of the uterus and birth canal. The lubrication that we associate with arousal is secreted through the walls of the blood vessels lining these organs. As arousal causes more blood to flow to this area, lubrication increases.

When vaginal dryness occurs, not only is the condition and symptoms very uncomfortable, it can make sexual activity and arousal painful because the body’s natural lubrication process is not working the way it should. Fortunately, for the majority of reasons that vaginal dryness occurs, the solutions to it are easy.

What are the symptoms of vaginal dryness?

Many women will mistake the symptoms of vaginal dryness for symptoms of more serious problems and worry unnecessarily. While it is important to always find out the cause for these symptoms as soon as possible by visiting your doctor or OB-GYN, you should remember that the cause could be simple and not serious. Stress can cause reactions within the body that can aggravate symptoms and make them more painful. The common symptoms of vaginal dryness are:

• Vaginal itching
• Burning or tingling sensation
• Soreness
• Pain and/or slight bleeding during intercourse
• Frequent need to urinate
• Feeling like you need to urinate constantly

These symptoms can indicate other problems so they should be mentioned to your doctor as soon as possible. It is a myth that vaginal dryness is an unavoidable part of aging for women and that they should just “put up” with the discomfort. Relieving vaginal dryness and its symptom is easy to do once the cause is identified.

What are the possible causes of vaginal dryness?

The most common cause of vaginal dryness are low levels of estrogen. Low levels of this hormone occur naturally as a woman’s body enters puberty, during certain stages of the menstrual cycle and then begins menopause process. There are instances where a hormonal imbalance can occur outside of these life stages and the vaginal dryness is then considered a symptom of another illness. Also, vaginal dryness can be caused by dehydration, lack of arousal, as a side effect to medications – most notably anti-depressants and antihistamines, and as a result of increased levels of stress.

What tests will a doctor perform?

When you go to see your doctor or OB-GYN they will most likely perform a pelvic exam, pap test and/or a urine test to try and determine the cause of your vaginal dryness. The pelvic exam will check for any abnormalities or growth in the structure of your vagina and uterus while the other two tests will analyze vaginal secretions and urine for abnormalities in estrogen levels, PH levels and other indicators of a chemical or hormonal imbalance.

None of these tests is painful; however, make sure that the person doing the pelvic exam is aware of the severity of your vaginal dryness so they can use extra care to prevent causing you discomfort. Make sure to tell your doctor if you feel any discomfort or pain during these procedures as that may indicate a more complex problem than the normal causes would suggest.

What are the treatments?

The treatment prescribed for vaginal dryness will always include an immediate topical application of lubricant to ease discomfort. Then, depending on the cause, your doctor may prescribe estrogen therapy. Estrogen therapy can either be administered with a pill, a patch or a hormone implant. Talk to your doctor to decide which would be best for you. If your doctor determines that you are suffering from vaginal dryness as a side effect to a medication you are taking, you may be taken off that medication and started on another.

One of the determining factors in that decision will be whether or not the dryness can be adequately relieved with lubricants so there is no real need to change medication or, if the side effect is too severe to merit continuing the medication causing it. You may have to go through several months of trial and error until you and your doctor can come to a decision about the treatment to pursue.

What should you do to avoid vaginal dryness?

To avoid aggravating mild vaginal dryness there are several things you should avoid. Douching is an unnecessary procedure in any instance and can sharply increase vaginal dryness. Even douches that promise to be “moisturizing” such as yogurt ones will not help. The reason for this is that douching radically changes the PH balance in the reproductive organs and this can cause immediate and painful dryness. Also, avoid applying hand lotions to the vagina and using any type of soaps or bubble baths except those that are chemical free. The ingredients in most soaps, even those advertised as gentle or moisturizing will change the PH balance of the body and increase vaginal dryness.

Older women can still have very active and healthy sex lives. Often this has to be a mental choice because you will have to change some of the ways you thought about sex in the past. Your interest level in sex might decline and getting ready for sex might take a little more effort than it once did. This is not a sign that you shouldn’t have sex, but rather that you have to change how you choose to think about sex.

Vaginal Dryness, the Lack of Moisture can be Fixed

Moisture is one of the main issues when it comes to menopause and sex. Your body no longer provides the same lubrication it once did. There are a few things you can do naturally to help this along, such as staying fit and exercising but beyond that you are going to have to look into external options. There are a number of gels and creams that can be purchased that will lubricate you for sex. This can get you past the initial moisture problem. There are a few slow release gels so that you are sure to have the moisture keep up with any type of prolonged activity.

Diminished Sexual Appetite

Your hormonal changes tend to drives down your sex drive. You have to realize that this lessened desire level is not really a reflection on how you feel about sex or your desire to be close to your partner, but rather a hormonal, biological effect because you are no longer in a place to “breed.” Sex has developed past that point for many of us and needs to be a part of many healthy marriages, so finding a way to work past the biological “trick” is important. This can mean being more creative or just acknowledging your changed desire level. The truth is, once you start, you will want to finish, your drive to start might be less than it once was.

Body Image Discomfort

As we age, we also become uncomfortable with our body and our body image can become distorted. Exercise and staying fit can help reduce this feeling. You also have to be willing to work past your feelings of sex being a “young” person’s game. This is a mental/psychological viewpoint and you can easily work on changing how you feel about your body and your sexual appetite. Find lingerie and things that hide areas you are uncomfortable with. Work to find positions and lighting options that make you happy overall.

Sex during menopause can be just as fun and fulfilling as sex during any other time in your life. You need to work to keep yourself active. This will help you have the sex life you want no matter what your age and your reproductive status. You don’t have to give up this part of your life just because you are older, you just have to change it up and make it a new experience.

Aging is an irreversible and a lifelong process which begins even before we are born and continues all throughout life. The process of aging has different effects on men and women especially in their sex life.

Aging and Sexual Health in Women

Aging in women is accompanied by hormonal changes that are rapid as women’s lives are closely related to the female hormone, estrogen. The first sign of aging is menopause, which is the permanent end of menstruation cycles in women and it indicates the end of fertility. Around menopause a woman’s body undergoes rapid changes physically. Post menopause breasts may sag and decrease in size due to the lack of estrogen in the body and a woman also experiences loss of flexibility as well as stamina. Other signs such as wrinkles and fat in the body also start becoming prominent. Aging also affects the libido of a woman primarily due to the physical changes that takes place in her. However there are women who might be able to enjoy sex more post menopause as they do not have to worry about getting pregnant.

Aging and Sexual Health in Men

Aging in men is often associated in loss of mental function, physical function as well as vitality. When men age the production of the male hormone testosterone, and other sex hormones decreases in their body.  The decrease in the hormone production is gradual and does not happen as rapidly as it does in women. Erectile Dysfunction is a common medical condition that men face due to aging. Men might also not be able to get aroused fully and have satisfactory ejaculatory experiences too.

Aging affects the sexual health of both men and women. However, it is important for you to remember that this is a part of life and these are just normal signs and symptoms and that you can always work towards having a better sex life despite your age. Though there could be challenges, these problems can be dealt with if you are willing to look at things with an open mind and you do not feel discouraged in any way by the emotional or physical issues that might come your way. Studies have shown that no matter what your age, you can enjoy sex as long as you wish. So given below are some tips that when followed can help boost your sex life significantly.

Be open to trying new things:

In order to have a satisfying sex life as you age it is also very important that you are open to different ideas and new things. Be open to new positions that you find comfortable as well as satisfying. It does not help for you as a couple to look back at how your sex life was when you were in your 20s and 30s and early 40s. Try to find out ways that will help you optimize your body’s response and that lets you enjoy sex with your partner.

Communicate with your partner:

To enjoy a satisfying sex life despite your age, communication is the key. Always remember to talk to your partner. Intimacy helps give your sex life a huge boost. Set aside time to be intimate with your partner and do not hesitate to talk about your love making sessions and what you expect from your partner. Also remember to be honest about what you are experiencing as this will help your partner understand you better.

 Lead an active life:

Leading an active life and following a healthy diet helps your libido and also helps increase your overall sense of well being and your energy levels. You also feel attractive and your self-esteem receives a huge boost when you are active. This in turn allows you to focus on sex with your partner rather than having to worry about your physical appearance.