While there are plenty of women over 50 years old who date and are sexually active, a new study finds that these women may lack important information about sexual health because education campaigns are typically targeted towards younger generations.

Dr. Cynthia Morton and colleagues at the University of Florida surveyed women aged 50 and older about their knowledge concerning sexual health and their concerns about safe sex practices.

The women involved in the study participated in focus group discussions that discussed topics such as the challenges in finding male partners, negotiating condom use and seeking credible information sources to help them make the best decisions about sexual health.

The results of the study indicated that older women are aware of the risks for sexually transmitted diseases yet are uncomfortable asking their regular physicians questions regarding sexual health.

Additionally, though the women knew about the importance of using condoms to prevent sexually transmitted diseases, some avoided negotiating condom use with partners in an effort to avoid conflict or rejection.

“The findings generated from our research offer a rich foundation for better understanding the motivations and concerns that influence senior-aged women’s attitudes about dating at their present stage of life,” said Morton.

According to the researchers, future efforts are necessary to help older women feel more confident in talking to their physicians about sexual health. The researchers also recommended social media campaigns aimed to educate older women about sexual health risks and safe sex practices.

The study was published in the Journal of Consumer Affairs.

How likely is it that your partner will cheat on you?  A new study pinpoints “risk factors” for infidelity.

The study, conducted by University of Guelph researchers, looked at a number of personality characteristics and interpersonal factors to determine if there was any association with an increased likelihood of cheating.

The researchers found that men and women are equally likely to cheat, but that there appear to be different motivations for the genders.

Men were more likely to cheat if they had anxiety about their sexual performance.  They were also more likely to be unfaithful if they were risk-takers or easily aroused.

Women, meanwhile, were more likely to cheat if there were issues in the relationship or if they felt sexually incompatible with their parner.

However, lead researcher Robin Milhausen, a professor and sexuality researcher, cautioned couples not to overemphasize or misinterpret the study findings.

“Taken at face value,” Milhausen said, “this research might seem to just support sexual stereotypes: Women are just concerned about the relationship, and, for men, once a cheater, always a cheater, regardless of their relationship. But the caveat is that there are a lot of variants and factors that are not explained here that might impact whether someone cheats.”

Nevertheless, she said, knowing that men were more greatly influenced by personality and women by relationship factors could help direct therapy among troubled couples.

One reason—if not the main reason—we diet and exercise is that we want to look good to the opposite sex (or maybe the same sex).

And, of course, one reason—if not the main reason—we want to do that is to be attractive to our (real or imagined) sexual partner.

Now, what does any of this have to do with health, you wonder? The answer is, plenty. A healthy sex life improves your overall quality of life. It improves your immune system because it significantly relieves stress. Good physical exercise burns calories, and it improves your mood by pumping endorphins into your bloodstream that make you feel good. It also plays a key role in keeping couples together, so the benefits of sex are innumerable.

But once you get on into your forties, you might find your sex drive shifting into a lower gear. This diminished or lack of sex drive is more common in women than it is in men. Even men with erectile dysfunction usually have a normal sex drive. While libido problems can be either physical or psychological, the root causes tend to be the same in both sexes. Alcoholism is the main physical factor responsible for a decreased libido; another is drug abuse, of cocaine, for example.

Obesity and anemia are other potential physical problems. And there are certain tumors of the pituitary gland that increase the hormone prolactin, which lowers the libido. Some prescribed medications, especially antidepressants, lower the level of the hormone testosterone, which is needed by both sexes to maintain an adequate sex drive. Psychological factors influencing libido include depression, stress, and confusions about sexual orientation.

Anyone with a lack of sexual desire should first try to take these factors out of the equation. So if you’re drinking excessively, overweight, depressed, or taking medications, these issues need to be dealt with to resolve a flagging libido. Counseling can help with the psychological problems of sexual hang-ups, depression, or stress.

There is no magic remedy for the loss of sexual libido. Though testosterone has been identified as a key hormone that improves sexual appetite in women, doctors who have been giving women testosterone supplements for the past 30 years have found that it has little effect on their libido, while it sometimes causes facial hair growth, a deepened voice, and an enlargement of the clitoris.

I have no doubt that one day there will be a libido pill for women and men, as I’m sure the drug companies are hard at work on this potentially lucrative solution.

There are a number of other sexual problems that women may experience at any age. One is dyspareunia, or painful sexual intercourse. Any part of the genitals can cause pain during sex, including the skin around the vagina. Vaginal infections, like yeast infections or viral infections, are a common cause, and the pain can be felt when either a tampon or penis is inserted into the vagina. It can also occur from just sitting or wearing pants. To treat dyspareunia, physicians may recommend hormone creams, dilators to help stretch the vagina, Kegel exercises, or, in rare cases, antidepressants.

Another potential cause of dyspareunia is vaginismus, an involuntary contraction of the vaginal muscles that may prevent insertion of the penis during intercourse. The diagnosis of vaginismus is usually problematic because it’s often difficult to separate the physical pain with the emotional anxiety of experiencing that pain; in other words, just the fear of the pain can cause vaginismus.

Any woman complaining of these symptoms should be taken seriously. A doctor must conduct a physical examination to eliminate the possibility of such physical causes as infections, fibroids, or anatomical deformities of the uterus, ovaries, or vagina. Even vaginal dryness can cause painful sex. A decrease in estrogen at menopause can cause the vaginal walls to become dry, creating a discomfort or pain during intercourse.

If there are no treatable physical conditions, it’s important to discuss the woman’s feelings as well as the physical situations that lead to this type of discomfort. Some women have a very positive attitude toward sex; other women have had negative sexual experiences that play a significant role in their fears and negative feelings about sex.

Some women may have a history of sexual abuse, rape, or trauma, for instance; these things need to be identified in a very delicate way. Treatment of vaginismus usually involves practicing relaxation techniques and doing Kegel exercises to relax the vaginal muscles. At home, one exercise that may prove beneficial is to have your partner gradually insert a dilator into your vagina. This must be done at a pace with which you feel comfortable until the pain and discomfort are overcome. Partner, doctor, and patient all have to be in sync for this type of therapy to be successful.

Many women experience discomfort or pain at the time of their period. This pain is caused by contractions of the muscle of the uterus during menstruation that occur due to the release of the prostaglandins, which are hormones that are produced in the lining of the uterus. For most women these menstrual contractions are neither severe nor disabling. But some women experience significant menstrual pains called dysmenorrhea.

Women suffering from dysmenorrhea should exercise, get plenty of sleep, and avoid stress. Over-the-counter painkillers can minimize the amount of prostaglandins released, and they usually help reduce the pain. If the painkillers are not effective, your doctor will have to look for other things that are causing the pain. And ultrasound is sometimes used in such cases to make sure you don’t have any other medical conditions, like pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, or fibroids.