Even among those who accept that women in general have more than a passing interest in sex, many believe that women’s interest in sex goes way down after menopause. And many people assume that you do a lot less of it as you age.
The truth, however, is not so clear. First of all, good data exist on the amount of sex that people have at various ages. Once again we can turn to The Social Organization of Sexuality: Sexual Practices in the United States. About 75 per cent of women in their thirties have sex at least a few times a month. Women in their forties have less sex, but 69 per cent have sex at least a few times a month. And, when women hit their fifties, 48 per cent are still having sex a few times a month or more. Only 30 per cent of women in their fifties report not having sex in the last year. Lest we think that this is entirely an issue for women, however, 67 per cent of men in their fifties also report having sex a few times a month or more.
Yes, older women seem to have less sex than younger women. However, science suggests this is not because of the hormones that go with menopause. In a 2004 comprehensive review article in the journal Menopause: The Journal of the North American Menopause Society (they have a journal for everything, don’t they?), researchers discuss how many different things must be taken into account when a woman has low sexual desire. The factors involved can include a woman’s age, quality and length of relationship(s), physical health (including menopause status), sexual experience and mental health/personality. Some studies have found that the effect of menopause on sexuality is indirect; in other words, menopause symptoms can affect well-being, which affects how one responds sexually, which affects how often one has sex.
Other studies have found that the sexuality of older women depends more on other factors such as physical and mental health than it does for younger women. How healthy the woman is, not whether she has gone through menopause, plays a bigger part in how much pleasure and interest she has in sex. Often the lack of sex in a woman’s life is due more to emotional problems, communication problems, or feelings of pain or guilt. And, of course, the older a woman is, the more likely that her partner has become ill or died, making sex less possible or pleasurable.
In summary, although older women generally have less sex than younger women, many are still doing it, and still doing it fairly often. Menopause is not necessarily to blame for the decreasing numbers who are doing it; older women may be less sexually active due to changes in their physical health, mental health or relationships.