5 Things Nobody Tells You About Sex After 60

Here’s what to know as you go into your golden years of lovemaking.

Sex isn’t like a carton of milk that goes sour after a certain date. In fact, sex is more like fine wine—it improves with age. “The presumption is that sex is for younger, fitter, and—according to what we see reflected in our media—more attractive people,” Davis says. But a comprehensive national study of sexuality and health among older adults shows that most people want and need sex well past 60, and continue to have it often—even well into their 80s.

“You can be sexual as long as you want to be,” says Lonnie Barbach, PhD, a clinical psychologist, author of The Pause: Positive Approaches to Menopause and Periomenopause, and co-founder of Happy Couple, an app designed to help couples grow closer. “It has nothing to do with how young you are; it has to do with your relationship and the person you’re with.” If you have a history of enjoying sex, there’s no reason to believe that will suddenly change because you have grey hair and and AARP membership.

Prevention