Good Sex Is Possible At Any Age
It’s a sad fact of life that no matter how well you take care of yourself, no matter how strict your diet, how regular your exercise routine, and how frequent your doctor visits are, a person’s health starts to deteriorate past a certain age. Needless to say, this can affect many aspects of your life, including your desire and ability to have good sex.
No matter what hiccups you hit in your health during aging, try not to let one of the compromises be the elimination of your sex life. Even if you suffer from a condition that is sexual in nature, as long as you still have the desire to have an active sex life, there’s no reason you can’t!
For singles, the main thing is simply to be up front and honest with a new partner about any health conditions you suffer from that might directly affect the experience. It’s not an easy thing to make it into your 60s without developing a single recurring health problem, so it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. It can be difficult to convince yourself of that when it comes time to talk about it, but if you have a sincere discussion about the changes your body has gone through in recent years, you’ll probably find it to be far less embarrassing than you’d expected.
For married guys it’s a little easier. Having a supportive and loving spouse can help get you past those health issues and back in the saddle!
The following is intended to provide some guidelines on how to deal with common health problems affecting one’s sex life. Of course, each person’s experience will vary, so always consult your physician.
Erectile Dysfunction
Before you go running to the doctor to get a Viagra prescription, keep in mind that erectile dysfunction (ED) is not strictly a problem for men over fifty. Some men barely out of their teen years can experience regular erectile dysfunction. Often times, erectile dysfunction is a result of a deficiency in vitamins and other vital nutrients.
Before going for medical aid, it might be wise to try a change in diet and exercise habits first. ED is perhaps the most common problem for men, and one of the more potentially embarrassing should it occur at an inopportune moment. If non-medication strategies still affect your ability to have good sex, see your physician to discuss medications such as Viagra and Cialis.
Bladder Control
This is another problem that commonly causes embarrassment but can be treated. Strengthening bladder control can be done with Kegel exercises which, as stated earlier, occur naturally during sex or when stemming off the stream of urine. It can be done by tensing the muscles while sitting or standing in one place for an extended period of time. Another obvious solution is simply to not load up on too many fluids before sex. Again, there are medications such as Flomax that can assist with this problem, so always consult your physician.
Andropause
Andropause is a medical condition much like menopause in women. Testosterone levels decline as men age, and this can affect having good sex because sex drive is adversely affected. This is another problem that can sometimes be fixed with a change in diet and increasing exercise, but more often than not, some medical attention will be required. Luckily, there are pills and shots readily available by prescription, which can help to improve hormone levels.
Diabetes
One of the consequences of diabetes is erectile dysfunction. High blood sugar can cause blood vessel and nerve damage, which adversely affects sexual responsiveness. High cholesterol can then slow blood flow thanks to fatty deposits. If there’s an upside to this, it’s that having good sex can be an excellent incentive to watch one’s blood sugar levels. Early diagnosis and careful blood sugar monitoring can help prevent and treat erectile dysfunction caused by diabetes.
Cancer
Of particular interest is cancer. Testicular cancer, prostate cancer and even breast cancer can all affect a person’s sex life adversely. Chemotherapy and other treatments for cancer can affect not only having good sex, but any sex at all. This can be due to both the physiological effects of the medications and the psychological effects of the diagnosis.
It goes without saying that the best way to fight cancer is by prevention and early detection. An active sex life can help lower the risk of prostate cancer. Sex keeps those parts of the body active and may discourage tumors from forming. Intimate foreplay can also double as a form of checking one another for cancer. Any abnormalities in your partner’s body should be brought to their immediate attention.
The loss of self-esteem that might occur after invasive surgery is natural. It’s difficult to look in the mirror and see a body that isn’t the one you’re used to and it’s easy to think that this means you’re less of a man than you were before. Sometimes having good sex is the last thing a guy might think of at that time.
There are many organizations that have support groups for men with cancer. Getting better psychologically can increase your sexual drive and get you back on the road to good sex.
