Americans pushing 60, 70, 80 or even 90 don't forgo sex just because they're aging, according to a study that shows many are having sex into their 70s and 80s.
The University of Chicago study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine is being called the first comprehensive look at the sex lives of older adults in the USA. It portrays an image that researchers say runs counter to the stereotypes of older people as either asexual or "dirty old men."

"Sexuality discussion in later life has long been a taboo subject," says Stacy Tessler Lindau, a gynecologist and the study's lead author. "This study for the first time provides information that allows people to see where their experiences align against others of similar health and age status. The data tell the world older people do not give up sexuality by virtue of their age."

Based on data collected from 3,005 adults ages 57 to 85 during two-hour face-to-face interviews from July 2005 to March 2006, the findings show many are sexually active as long as they're healthy.

In the preceding 12 months, 73% of those ages 57 to 64, 53% of those 65 to 74 and 26% of those 75 to 85 said they were sexually active. Among those who reported good or excellent health, 81% of men and 51% of women said they had been sexually active in the past year vs. 47% of men and 26% of women who reported fair or poor health.

The study, which was paid for by the National Institutes of Health, found that men were more likely to have partners in later life and more likely to be sexually active. Older women were less likely to be sexually active because they often outlive partners and men tend to marry younger women.

The most common reason for sexual inactivity among both men and women was the male partner's physical health problem, the study found. About half of sexually active adults reported at least one "bothersome" sexual problem; 37% of men cited erectile dysfunction, and 43% of women cited low desire.

Among other findings:

•54% of the oldest sexually active respondents reported having sex at least twice a month; 23% reported once a week or more.

•About half of men and women under age 75 engaged in oral sex in the previous 12 months.

•14% of men reported taking medication to improve sexual function; 1% of women reported taking such medication.