| Specialists in Vienna conclude that sexual dysfunction should not be treated on an individual basis, but in the context of both partners.
SEXUAL problems are being tackled more and more in the context of the couple, rather than as a problem affecting one of two partners. This has been confirmed in the IX European Congress on Sexual Medicine, which took place last week in Vienna, and in which specialists in this important branch of medicine have come to the conclusion that a single person suffering from sexual dysfunction cannot be properly treated without taking into account the positive effect this treatment will have on his or her sexual partner. "The problem affects both partners, and the solution also affects both of them," says Sigfried Meryn, the Austrian specialist and president of the European Society for Sexual Medicine.
It takes two to have what we refer to as normal sex, the experts remind us, and the satisfaction one derives from the activity has a positive effect on the other. In other words, they are happy or unhappy together. This is especially true as the couple grow older, because the passage of time is a very relevant factor in sexual dysfunction. In the case of older people, in particular with regard to men, the advancing years can lead to problems that can have an adverse effect on their sexual health, resulting in diminishing sexual activity. This problem can be aggravated by the secondary effects of therapies against certain illnesses, or by illnesses that have not yet been diagnosed or treated.
Sex and ill-health
In reality, the relationship between health and sexual dysfunction is evident in people of all ages. Up to half of all diabetics suffer some kind of sexual problem, erectile dysfunction can be a sign of depression, rheumatism drugs can lead to reduction in sexual desire and anti-depressants can cause erectile and orgasmic difficulties. But this relationship is more evident in older people, prompting specialists in sexual medicine to take it into account when treating older people for many other illnesses. The basic idea is to encourage older people to talk more openly about their sexual problems in the consulting room, so that a more complete diagnosis can be made and more satisfactory treatment provided.
As far as age is concerned, the European Society for Sexual Medicine has announced that its next big challenge is "to find a response to the special needs of older people with regard to this problem."
Life-long importance
Dr John Dean is the British secretary general of the Society, and as he says: "Sex is important for people right through their lives, and there are many people over the age of 80 who practise it regularly." In fact, a study carried out last May for the Spanish Society of Family and Community Medicine (SEMFYC) Congress shows that 60 per cent of people over the age of 65 have sex on an average of four times every month.
Some foreign researchers claim that up to 63 per cent of men and 30 per cent of women up to the ages of 80 have regular sex, although not necessarily coital sex, but touching and caressing. Proof of this sexual activity among old people is the large number of older couples attending sex clinics. Dean himself takes as an example a 92-year-old man who came to his clinic with his 64-year-old sexual partner in search of treatment, and they were both very happy, we are assured by Dean, with the positive effects of the therapy they were advised to undergo. "Enthusiasm is replaced by experience and maturity, and although the frequency with which they have sex may diminish, the satisfaction derived is greater."
Changing with age
Different studies confirm the SEMFYC findings, identifying satisfactory sexual activity in 60 per cent of men and 36 per cent of women, although there are findings showing that more than 85 per cent of people of both sexes over the age of 60 enjoy regular sex. Dean says we should pay more attention to the impact of changes in relationships between people over the age of 40, when an unhealthy life-style can contribute to diminished sexual activity.
In Dr Dean's opinion, taking this reality into account is the key to the efficient treatment of sexual disorders in older people. But the first step to be taken is to examine the situation in its entirety, given that problems of an intimate nature are not always directly related to sexual dysfunction alone. It is the responsibility of the doctor to made a complete evaluation of the problem and advise the most effective therapy for each couple. |
