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.

An unhealthy lifestyle could put men at risk for sexual dysfunction, according to a new study.

Several factors associated with an unhealthy lifestyle, such as weight problems, physical inactivity, high alcohol consumption, tobacco smoking and hard drugs appear to be associated with sexual dysfunctions.

Additionally, unhealthy lifestyles are more common among persons who are sexually inactive.

Danish researchers analyzed survey data from over 5,500 men and women to study the association between lifestyle factors, sexual inactivity and sexual dysfunction.

They found that unhealthy lifesty factors are associated with an increased risk of sexual inactivity by up to 78 percent in men and 91 percent in women.

Meanwhile, the risk of experiencing sexual dysfunction was up to 71 percent greater in overweight men, and more than 800 percent greater in men who used hard drugs.

The researchers also found that women who used hashish had a risk nearly three times greater of anorgasmia – not being able to reach climax during sexual activity – than non-hashish users.

“Hopefully our findings can be used in future counseling of patients with unhealthy lifestyles,” said lead researcher Professor Morten Frisch, MD, PhD, DSc, of Statens Serum Institute. “Knowing about possible negative consequences of an unhealthy lifestyle to one’s sexual health may help people quit smoking, consume less alcohol, exercise more, and lose weight.”

The study was published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.

College students talk about hooking up, a lot – much more than it actually happens, as it turns out.
Naturally, this leads to some mistaken perceptions among the students about the frequency of these types of encounters.

The study, which took place at the University of Nebraska, defined hooking up as “casual intimate encounters outside of dating or exclusive relationships” and looked at the extent to which all the talk about hooking up influenced risky sexual behavior.

According to the results, 84 percent of students had talked with their college friends in the previous four months about hookups. However, when asked how many hookups they had during the school year, the students reported far fewer for him or herself than what they assumed a “typical student” had experienced.

The talk about hooking up proved to be more influential than the actual experience of the students. Among other results, the researchers found that talking regularly about hook ups led students to think more approvingly about the practice, and often, riskier sexual behavior.

The study also found that the more communication there was about such non-relationship sex, particularly among close college friends, the greater chance those students would participate in sexual hook ups.

By the numbers:

-54 percent of students reported having participated in a sexual hookup during the school year.

-63 percent of males reported engaging in a sexual hookup compared to 45 percent of females

-37 percent of students reported two or more hookups during the school year.

-90 percent of the students assumed that a “typical” student had been involved in two or more hookups.

The study was published in the journal Health Communication.

A new study finds that’s successful aging and positive quality of life directly correlates with sexual satisfaction in older women.

Additionally, the relationship between self-reported successful aging, quality of life and sexual satisfaction seem to be stable even in the face of physical health decline.

California researchers surveyed more than 1000 women between the ages of 60 and 89, and found that, on average, 63 percent of the participants were “moderately” to “very” satisfied with their sex lives.

“Contrary to our earlier hypothesis, sexual satisfaction was not significantly associated with age,” said Wesley Thompson, PhD. “Although the levels of sexual activity and functioning did vary significantly, depending on the woman’s age, their perceived quality of life, successful aging and sexual satisfaction remained positive.”

The findings fall in line with prior research that indicates that sefl-rated health changes little with age even when objective health indicators, such as physical and mental health, show age-related decline.

“What this study tells us is that many older adults retain their ability to enjoy sex well into old age,” said Thompson. “This is especially true of older adults who maintain a higher level of physical and mental health as they grow older. Furthermore, feeling satisfied with your sex life – whatever your levels of sexual activity – is closely related to your perceived quality of life.”

The study was published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society.

It used to be called impotence. But thanks to the proliferation of drug industry advertisements that now threaten to overwhelm our television programs, today we know it as erectile dysfunction, or, more discreetly, simply as E.D. Whatever you want to call it, though, it’s the man’s inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient to satisfy him or his partner during intercourse.

When it occurs in young men, it’s usually just a matter of momentary anxiety. In middle-aged men, it’s often caused by stress, guilt, or overwork. In fact, most men experience it at some point in their lives by age forty, though usually only briefly, and they are not psychologically affected by it.

But it gets more common with age, and for some men – as many as 30 million of them according to the drug companies – it occurs frequently and causes serious emotional and relationship problems.

In many cases, E.D. is due to the deterioration of the blood vessels that carry blood into the penis. A host of things can cause this deterioration, including nicotine, which narrows the blood vessels, excessive alcohol, and certain prescription drugs, notably antidepressants. Some physical problems can contribute to the deterioration, too, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity.

If you have difficulty getting an erection, get help. Discuss it with your partner, and consult your doctor, who will help you find the cause of your E.D. Treatment will, of course, depend on the cause. Though there are a number of mechanical devices that can help men get a better erection, including splints, rings, and pumps, it’s the E.D. drugs that have revolutionized the treatment of this problem. They work well for most men, and if one drug doesn’t work for you, try one of the others – but always work with a doctor’s guidance since the drugs can have significant side effects.

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.