(Reuters) – The very oldest men are still interested in sex but
illness and a lack of opportunity may be holding them back, Australian
researchers reported on Monday.
The “male” hormone testosterone
was clearly linked with how often a man over 75 had sex, and doctors
need to do more studies to see if hormone replacement therapy might
benefit older men, the researchers said.
Zoe Hyde of the University of Western Australia and colleagues surveyed
more than 2,700 men aged 75 to 95 for their study, published in the
Annals of Internal Medicine.
They asked a range of questions about health, relationships and sexual activity.
“The older men were, the less likely they were to be sexually active,
but sex remained at least somewhat important to one fifth of men aged 90
to 95 years, refuting the stereotype of the asexual older person,” they
wrote in their report.