London - If you’re middle-aged and feeling underwhelmed about how things are going in the bedroom, cheer up, you are not the only one.
Thirty-four percent of people over 50 are unhappy with their sex lives, while only 22 percent are satisfied, according to a study.
Nineteen percent of the 2,\ 000 questioned said they had sex more than once a week, while a third no longer made love or else did so less than once a year.
Perhaps unsurprisingly the over 50s are reluctant to discuss sexual problems with others. Almost half – 54 percent of women and 44 percent of men – said they did not talk to anyone about their sex lives, even though 37 percent think sex is still important.
Men (19 percent) were twice as likely as women (10 percent) to seek advice and information on the internet about sex.
But around 70 percent of women and 60 percent of men admitted they never sought information about sex from any source. The survey, carried out by relationship charity Relate and Mature Times newspaper, found that while sex became less important over the years, being affectionate with partners was still highly valued.
Fifty-three percent of those surveyed said that being physically close to their partner or expressing their feelings for them were the most important parts of their sex life.
Only four percent felt that having regular sex was of paramount importance.
Barbara Bloomfield, a Relate counsellor, said: “It’s easy to assume that sex decreases as we age because we lose interest, but this survey shows that sex and intimacy remain really important. It’s concerning that almost half the people we surveyed talk to no one about their sex lives, especially as many are dissatisfied in that department. By talking to someone about issues in their sex lives ... most people can carry on enjoying intimacy well into later life.” - Daily Mail