Effect of age on sexual function

Everyone grows up year by year, from birth to adulthood and then to old age, without exception. In the process of growing up, everyone's physical condition will also change over time, including sexual function. Many men have strong sexual desire in their youth, but as they age, their sexual desire decreases in old age. So, what effect does age have on sexual function?

Due to the age-related changes in testicular function and endocrine function, male sexual desire will inevitably be affected, and will affect sexual ability and the frequency of sexual activity. Male sexual ability is strongest at the age of 18, and then slowly weakens, and becomes more severe after the age of 50. The sexual desire that dominates young men is mostly "fullness and relief desire"; while "contact desire" exists throughout life and is the main sexual desire that dominates older men.

According to a survey of 500 elderly men and women conducted by Japanese scholars, 10% expressed sexual desire; in 1971, the University of Keukenhof in the United States surveyed 261 men aged 66 to 71, 90% were interested in sex and 10% had "strong concern"; in 1976, the Sex Science Research Institute of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark surveyed 6,200 elderly men and found that among the age group of 86 to 90, 50% expressed interest in sex.

Regarding the fluctuation characteristics of male sexual function throughout life, Chinese scholar Lu Debin (1984) found from analyzing the average number of sexual intercourses per month that the sexual desire is strongest between the ages of 20 and 29. From the middle age of 40 to 59 and the early old age, the sexual function changes dramatically, and the average number of sexual intercourses per month decreases significantly. The penis erection power is strongest during adolescence, and gradually weakens with age, and the changes are more obvious in middle age.

The changes in the duration of sexual intercourse can be divided into four types: the first is that with the increase of age, the duration of sexual intercourse is gradually extended, accounting for about 21.34%. There are two mechanisms. One is that with the increase of age, the self-control ability is enhanced, the central excitement of ejaculation is enhanced, the central excitement of ejaculation is reduced, and the threshold of the central excitement of ejaculation is increased; the second is that the couple's cooperation in sexual life is gradually harmonious. The second type is that with the increase of age, the duration of sexual intercourse is gradually shortened. This change is mild in youth and obvious in middle-aged and elderly people. In addition to the gradual decline in physical strength and energy, sexual function is also greatly affected by psychological and mental factors, which is particularly obvious for the elderly. This type accounts for about 18.96%. The third type is that with the increase of age, the duration of sexual intercourse gradually increases, but in the transition period from middle age to old age, the duration becomes shorter. This type accounts for about 17.96%. The fourth type is that the duration of sexual intercourse fluctuates throughout life, but the overall change is not large. This type accounts for about 4.27%.

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