Sexuality and older people

doi:10.1136/bmj.a239

Published 8 July 2008, doi:10.1136/bmj.a239
Cite this as: BMJ 2008;337:a239

Editorials

Sexuality and older people

Doctors should ask patients, regardless of age, about sex

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Much of the literature on sexuality in elderly people focuseson sexual problems, leaving clinicians with the impression thatolder adults have either dismal or non-existent sex lives. Fewdata are available on "normal" sexuality in elderly people,let alone the entire spectrum of sexual expression includingoptimal sexuality.¹ Beckman and colleagues’ linked studymakes a welcome contribution to the limited literature on sexualityin older people.²

A major contribution of Beckman and colleagues’ studyis that it focuses on sexual attitudes and behaviour in a sampleof people—not patients—who are not seeking treatmentfor sexual dysfunction or attending a general medical clinic.The methodology is strong, using consistent interviewing techniquesover a 30 year period to produce four comparable sets of crosssectional data from 1971 to 2001.

Current knowledge suggests that sexual functioning and frequencydecline with age and that sex decreases in importance over time.³The existing . . . [Full text of this article]

Peggy J Kleinplatz, associate professor and clinical professor

¹ Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1N 6N5

kleinpla@uottawa.ca

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Secular trends in self reported sexual activity and satisfaction in Swedish 70 year olds: cross sectional survey of four populations, 1971-2001: Nils Beckman, Margda Waern, Deborah Gustafson, and Ingmar Skoog
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