How Often Do 70 Year Olds Make Love?

As we get older, our bodies change and our health needs shift. One big question many people have is how aging affects our sexuality and intimacy with partners. For 70 year olds, what is a normal and healthy sex life? How often do 70 year olds make love?

In this post, we’ll explore the facts around senior sexuality, including physical changes, psychological factors, and tips for keeping intimacy alive. Read on to learn the truth about sex in your 70s!

Key Takeaways:

• While sexual frequency declines with age, many 70 year olds still enjoy active sex lives. Studies show 50-60% of 70 year olds are sexually active.
• Physical changes like erectile dysfunction, vaginal dryness, and chronic conditions can affect sexuality, but medical help is available.
• Emotional intimacy, romance, and foreplay remain important for sexual satisfaction at any age.
• Adapting sexual routines, setting the mood, and communicating with your partner can improve senior sex and relationships.

What Is Normal for Sexuality in Your 70s?

For most people, sex drive and frequency of sex decline as they get older. But there’s no “normal” amount of sex at any age—what matters is that you and your partner enjoy the intimacy you share.

Some key points about senior sexuality:

• Many 70 year olds still have active sex lives. Surveys show that among 70-80 year olds, around 50-60% of couples have sex. For married couples in this age group, 54% of men and 31% of women reported they were still sexually active.
• Desire for sex and arousal takes longer as you age. Don’t be discouraged—taking more time to get aroused is perfectly normal.
• Sex may be less frequent than when you were younger, but can still be gratifying. Focus more on quality over quantity.
• Intimacy, touching, and closeness remain important for relationships throughout life. Don’t underestimate the importance of hugs, kisses, hand-holding, etc.
• Solo masturbation provides pleasure and release for many older adults. Self-pleasure remains common among seniors of all genders.

The key is understanding the normal physical changes of aging and adapting your love life accordingly. Keep the spark alive by focusing on pleasure, closeness, and happiness shared with your partner.

How Age Changes Sexuality in the 70s

There are natural biological and social changes that occur with aging that affect sexual function and intimacy. But with some adjustment, couples in their 70s can absolutely still have satisfying sex.

Physical Changes

Normal aging brings physical changes that impact sex:

For women:

• Vaginal dryness due to lower estrogen levels after menopause
• Slower arousal and reduced natural lubrication
• Less intense orgasms for some women

For men:

• Erectile dysfunction and weaker erections as testosterone declines
• Delayed climax and refractory period between erections increases
• Health issues like prostate cancer or cardiovascular disease

For all genders:

• Weaker muscle tone can cause mobility issues
• More body aches and joint pain
• Side effects of medications
• Poor sleep quality and fatigue
• Declining nerve sensitivity reduces tactile pleasure

Don't just accept frustration—there are solutions. Workarounds like lubricants, sensual massages, changing sexual positions, and open communication with your partner can help counter the physical effects of getting older.

Medical help is available too. Doctors can prescribe supplements or medications to improve sexual function for both men and women. Conditions like erectile dysfunction have many treatment options now.

Emotional and Social Factors

Along with physical changes, there are emotional and social shifts that influence sexuality and relationships in one's 70s:

• Retirement leads to renegotiating routines and roles at home
• More free time with a partner can increase intimacy
• Distraction from work obligations allows more focus on relationships
• Changing family roles like grandchildren and elderly parents can affect couples’ dynamics
• Grief and loss of friends or family members occurs more frequently
• Body image and self-confidence issues become more common
• Medical problems in yourself or your partner can get in the way
• Libido differences between partners may increase

To overcome the emotional hurdles, prioritize communication, mutual understanding, and intimacy. Share your needs openly and respond sensitively to your partner's vulnerabilities. Remember that emotional connection enhances physical pleasure.

Tips for Enjoying Sex in Your 70s

Here are some expert tips for older adults to maintain a happy and satisfying sex life:

Focus on foreplay, romance, and intimacy - Set aside more time for kissing, cuddling, massage, oral sex, roleplaying, baths together, listening to music, and loving words. Slow down and forget the concept of foreplay—it should be the main event.

Communicate more - Tell your partner directly what pleasures you and ask about their desires. If something causes discomfort, say so. Discuss trying new positions, locations, toys, or fetishes.

Use lubricants - Lube eases friction and enhances stimulation. Try water- or silicone-based lubricants.

Explore medical options for sexual dysfunction - Consult doctors about erectile dysfunction drugs, vaginal estrogen creams, hormone therapy, pumps, and more options to improve function.

Change sexual routines - Adapt activities, times of day, or positions to work around physical limitations and health issues. Maintain an intimate connection through naps together, bathing, or cuddling if needed.

Set the mood - Romance and ambiance help relax and arouse. Light candles, play music, use scents, silk sheets, sex toys, lingerie, or try roleplaying.

Stay positive - Keep a spirit of playfulness, laughter, and experimentation. Focus on pleasure not performance. If challenges arise, stay optimistic and find solutions.

The key to a satisfying sex life in your older years is flexibility, creativity, and openness to change. Adjust your techniques to accommodate the normal physical shifts that come with aging.

The Benefits of Sex for Older Adults

An enjoyable sex life provides many benefits as we age:

Improves mood and reduces stress - Sexual release promotes relaxation, eases anxiety, and boosts feelings of wellbeing.

Strengthens immune system - Frequent orgasms increase levels of IgA, an antibody that protects against infections.

Maintains cardiovascular health - Sex is exercise for the heart that improves circulation and blood flow.

Preserves cognitive function - More frequent sex may slow cognitive decline according to some studies.

Increases lifespan - One study showed men who have sex at least twice per week live longer on average.

Deepens intimacy and relationships - Sex and closeness foster bonding, commitment, and mutual caring with your partner.

Sexuality in later life is clearly about more than just physical pleasure. Nurturing intimacy strengthens your love, adds meaning, and sustains your relationship as you age together.

Responding to Changes as a Couple

Adjusting to the evolving nature of sex and intimacy in your 70s may take some work. Here are tips for couples navigating this transition:

Get informed - Learn about the common physical and emotional changes you’ll encounter. Knowledge is power!

Discuss needs and challenges - Honest, caring talks about sex and intimacy will bring you closer.

Be patient and stay positive - Overcoming obstacles strengthens your relationship. Focus on mutual pleasure and happiness.

Consult doctors when needed - Seek medical advice to manage issues like erectile dysfunction or vaginal dryness.

Adapt your love life together - Compromise, experiment, and find creative solutions to hurdles.

Keep dating! - Make efforts to romance each other. Seduce and have fun enjoying time as a couple.

With understanding and commitment to adapt, your relationship can thrive. Maintain affection and closeness, even when frequency of intercourse ebbs. Cherish the deep connection sex fosters.

The Role of Intimacy and Touch

As the intensity of sex settles with age, intimacy and touch become even more precious. Don’t underestimate the power of:

• Holding hands and hugging
• Snuggling in bed together
• Gentle caresses over the body
• Sensual massage and back rubs
• Sweet pillow talk and words of love
• Flirting, kissing, and making out
• Taking baths or showers as a couple
• Giving and receiving oral pleasure

These forms of physical closeness promote trust, affection, and sensuality between partners. For many older adults, intimacy and sensual touch provide most of the pleasures previously received from intercourse.

Fostering Emotional Intimacy

Sexuality research confirms that older adults continue desiring intimacy and close relationships. Emotional intimacy helps sustain satisfying bonds.

What feeds intimacy?

• Shared time and experiences
• Listening generously to your partner
• Empathy for each other’s struggles
• Supporting hopes and dreams
• Laughing together often
• Forgiving flaws and mishaps
• Celebrating accomplishments big and small
• Saying “I love you” and meaning it
• Appreciating the time you have together

Focus on nourishing emotional intimacy, and physical intimacy will flow more easily. Expressing love in new ways allows couples to stay close.

Variations in Sex Drive Between Partners

It's common for aging couples to experience differences in libido. As hormones shift, often one partner wants more sex than the other. How to cope?

For the partner with lower desire:

• Reassure your love often, be affectionate, and keep intimacy alive through touch.
• See a doctor to rule out and treat conditions lowering libido.
• Discuss creative solutions to meet in the middle.

For the partner with higher desire:

• Avoid pressuring for sex and respect when your partner says no.
• Ask how you can help get them in the mood (e.g. leisurely baths or massages).
• Focus energy on exercise, hobbies, or solo masturbation to manage your libido.

For both partners:

• Communicate sensitively and look for compromises.
• Try scheduling regular times for intimacy that accommodate differing needs.
• Most importantly, express your love, commitment and attraction for each other often.

The Key Role of Communication

The single most important factor for sustaining an enjoyable sex life into your senior years is communication. Great sex at any age depends on partners ability to:

• Discuss needs, desires, and changes openly and honestly
• Listen to each other with empathy, free of judgment
• Provide reassurance and encouragement
• Avoid critiquing or blaming
• Share feelings of vulnerability related to sexual self-confidence
• Guide each other positively through the pleasures each body enjoys
• Talk about health issues, physical discomforts, or emotional barriers getting in the way
• Have a spirit of humor, playfulness and adventure together

Talking openly fosters trust and cooperation. This allows couples to adapt sexually and maintain intimacy through the years.

Fulfilling Sex Into Your 80s, 90s and Beyond

While frequency continues declining gradually after 70, many couples enjoy sex well into old age. With longevity increasing, our definitions of a "normal" sex life for older adults will likely expand.

Through their 80s, studies show around 20-30% of couples maintain sexual activity. Even into their 90s, intimacy remains important for many seniors and partners.

Creative solutions, medical aids, openness, and loving support promote sexuality at any age. The rewards of deepened connection and joy are immense.

While physical changes eventually make intercourse difficult, sensual touch and emotional closeness never disappear. The spark of sexuality can be maintained well into advanced years by any couple.

Conclusion

We hope this guide provided helpful insights about enjoying sexuality and intimacy in your 70s and beyond. While changes occur, a fulfilling sensual connection is very much possible.

The keys are adapting to the normal effects of aging, communicating needs sensitively, seeking medical help when required, and nourishing emotional bonds between partners.

Prioritize mutual pleasure, stay playful, focus on quality over quantity, and keep the flames of passion burning bright into your golden years.

Great sex results from creativity, flexibility, acceptance, and commitment to maintaining intimacy as we age. The deep rewards are absolutely worth the effort.

Frequently Asked Questions About Sexuality in Your 70s

Is it normal for 70 year olds to still have sex?

Yes, it is absolutely normal and healthy for many 70 year olds to remain sexually active. Surveys show 50-60% of 70-80 year olds still engage in sex, whether married or dating new partners. While frequency may decline, sex can remain an important part of relationships.

What physical changes affect sexuality in your 70s?

Common physical changes include: vaginal dryness and slower arousal in women due to lower estrogen after menopause; erectile dysfunction and weaker erections as testosterone decreases in men; joint pain or mobility issues that may make certain positions difficult; side effects of medications; and declining nerve sensitivity that reduces tactile pleasure.

How can you cope with physical changes related to sex?

Lubricants, sensual massage, adjusting sexual positions, toys, and open communication about needs and discomfort can help overcome physical challenges. Doctors may prescribe supplements or medications to improve sexual function for both sexes. Stay positive and flexible.

What emotional factors influence sexuality at this age?

Retirement, grief over losing loved ones, changing family roles, lower libido, and partners' health issues can affect older adults emotionally. Prioritize intimacy through touching, romance and communication. Seek mutual understanding of each other's vulnerabilities.

What is the best way for couples to adapt their sex life as they age?

Be open-minded, creative and experimental to find new approaches. Schedule intimate times when you're rested. Set the mood with music, candles, etc. Adapt positions to accommodate mobility issues. Use lubrication. Focus on foreplay, closeness and pleasure over performance.

What if libido differs between partners as couples age?

It's common for aging partners to have mismatched sex drives. The partner with lower desire should communicate affection through touching, cuddling, etc. but not feel pressured. The partner with higher desire can self-pleasure or focus energy elsewhere. Most important is respect, compromise and empathy.

Can couples enjoy intimacy without intercourse?

Absolutely. Touching, massage, oral pleasure, using sex toys together, roleplaying, taking baths as a couple, and emotional intimacy through conversation and sharing activities can keep relationships close. The goal is maintaining sensual connection.

What is the best way for older couples to communicate about sex?

Discuss needs openly and listen without judgment. Share vulnerabilities. Guide each other through what provides pleasure. Address health issues or pain interference gently. Maintain humor and playfulness. Effective communication fosters trust and cooperation.

Is there medical help for older adults with sexual dysfunction?

Yes, doctors can provide many solutions to enhance sexual function. For men, there are erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra, pumps, implants, etc. For women, hormone creams, estrogen therapy, and lubricants can help. Seek medical advice for assistance.