What happens to a man's sex drive after 50?

The healthier you are in later life, the more likely you are to be having frequent sex too. Here’s how to increase your odds of staying sexually active, whatever your age.

By Lucinda Starr for Citro partner Pilot

As you get older, a lot can change in your life. You might be working less, finding new hobbies and valuing a new set of priorities. But one topic that is often swept under the rug is this: do men remain sexually active as they age?

The truth is that what happens in the bedroom isn't usually discussed, no matter how old you are. As blokes, it can be tricky chatting about touchy subjects like your sexual health, regardless of whether you're in your 20s, 40s, 60s or beyond.

The research tells us that men never stop being sexually active entirely.

Instead, your sex life changes and the way you find pleasure might look different, too. It's often tied to your overall physical health and whether you're navigating other health concerns at the same time.

Let's run through how your sex life might change as you age.

Do men ever stop being sexually active?

In short, no. The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing has found that an impressive 54% of men over 70 are still sexually active. However, the same study found that men's level of sexual activity does tend to decline as they age.

Why? Well, this research indicates that sexual health concerns increase as you get older. For men specifically, erectile dysfunction (ED) is the most commonly reported challenge when it comes to having sex, experienced by 39% of men aged 50 to 90 in a study published in 2015.

Other research has shown that the risk of developing ED is even higher as you age and rises by 10% for each decade of your life. This means that by the time you reach your 60s, you could have a 60% chance of experiencing ED or other difficulties with sexual function.

One of the other big factors that determine your interest in and desire for sex later in life is your overall health. 

A US study found that older men in very good to excellent overall health were more likely to be sexually active. Plus, the healthier you are in later life, the more likely you are to be having frequent sex too (once or more a week).

By staying active, managing health conditions and eating a balanced diet, it's possible to add 5 to 7 years of sexually active life after the age of 55.

At what age does this happen?

When it comes to your sex life and overall sexual health, there's no single or straightforward answer to when you might stop being sexually active. 

That's because there is a stack of factors that determine sex life, such as whether you're navigating erectile dysfunction, what other health concerns you might be navigating and even your genetics.

Here's what the stats tell us: most men have what's called a sexual life expectancy.

Not only do your sex drive and libido decline as you age, but your ability to get hard and enjoy sex tends to become more challenging, too. 

While your sexually active life expectancy isn't set in stone, the research suggests you might experience a decline in regular sexual activity between the age of 75 to 80.

That doesn't mean you'll stop having sex altogether. Instead, you might need some extra support to improve your sexual health and maintain a healthy sex life.

How a man's sex drive changes with age

You might have heard about a term called reaching your 'sexual peak'. It was first coined way back in 1953 by Alfred Kinsey in his work, Sexual Behaviour in the Human Female, which investigated the link between hormone levels and when men and women reach their 'sexual prime'.

Under this view, many of us were taught that men hit their sexual peak at just 18, while women have to wait until their 30s to enjoy the best sex of their lives. However, there are major flaws in only looking at hormone levels as a way of figuring out the quality of someone's sex life.

While higher testosterone levels do help to achieve sexual arousal, they're not the only factor that determines men's sex drive.

Instead, it's important to look holistically at all the range of causes behind a healthy sex life, such as your overall health, your body image, and other health conditions that could be impacting your sexual performance.

Basically, there's no single answer to when men reach their 'sexual peak'. But, it is possible to track the way your sex life might change over the decades ahead.

Men's sex life before the age of 45

During their 20s, men are likely to experience their highest testosterone levels, before they begin to decline over the decades to come.

Once they hit their 30s, testosterone levels decline by roughly 10% from their 'peak'. Plus, these levels will continue to drop 1% per year until roughly the age of 40.

Once men are in their 40s, they may start to notice a decline in their libido and desire for sex. While women's sexual drive is reaching its peak during this time, men experience the opposite and may feel less inclined to stay sexually active during these decades.

Plus, studies have shown that erectile dysfunction begins to become more commonly reported among men in their 40s and beyond.

Men's sex life in their 50s and 60s

Once you reach your 50s and 60s, your body is going through a range of changes that can impact how sexually active you are later in life.

For blokes, some of the most common physical health changes include:

• Lower-quality erections
• Reduced ejaculate volume
• Lower overall sexual functioning

Again, your overall health has a big role to play in how likely you are to retain a healthy sex life. Chronic health conditions, weight gain, and other health concerns are some of the big contributing factors that can see a drop in sexual activity during your 50s and 60s.

Men's sex life in their 70s and beyond

As you'd expect, your sex drive in your 70s+ tends to be the lowest of your life. That's due to a stack of reasons, including your heightened risk of experiencing erectile dysfunction, chronic illness and managing a number of health conditions.

Another big factor that determines how sexually active you are later in life is whether or not you have a current partner. 

One study of older men's sexual activity levels found that fewer older men without a partner were sexually active - down from 56% of men with partners to 17% of those without.

However, having a fulfilling sex life is still possible after you reach 70. You might just need some extra support to get you there.

The difference between men and women

As we mentioned, there are some differences in the way your sex lives and libido play out when comparing men and women.

As women age, they are 2 to 3 times more likely to be affected by a drop in sex drive. This decline happens slightly later in life than men, with women seeing the steepest decline in their sexual desire in their late 40s and 50s.

The biggest factor driving women's change in sex drive is menopause, which can cause a range of big changes sparked by falling oestrogen levels. From hot flushes to night sweats to vaginal dryness, many women feel a big decrease in sexual desire once they reach their point in their lives.

However, the common thread among men and women is this: their sexual desire tends to decline as they age.

The benefits of staying sexually active

Aside from feeling great, maintaining a healthy sex life can have a stack of benefits for your overall health.

Possible decreased risk of prostate cancer

Yep, having more sex can play a role in reducing your chances of developing prostate cancer. An Australian study of 2,338 men showed that men who ejaculate multiple times per week are 36% less likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer by the age of 70.

While the evidence is limited, there are studies to suggest that regular sex (even later in life) can have long-term health benefits.

Stronger immune system

Studies have shown that regular intercourse can help to boost your levels of immunoglobulin (the antibody that acts as your body's first line of defence against disease).

The research tells us that having sex once or twice a week is shown to have the highest impact on boosting your immune system.

A good form of exercise

That's right, sex is a great form of exercise and can help you to stay healthy throughout the decades to come. Plus, regular sex can help to improve your heart health – the Massachusetts Male Aging Study found men who have sex twice weekly were 45% less likely to develop heart disease.

When it comes to your sexual health, things do change as you get older. While the chance of ED does rise over the decades, there are ways to treat it effectively and maintain a sexually active life for years to come.

Tips for staying sexually active

While it's completely natural for your sex life to look different as you age, there are practical ways you can improve your sexual activity across your entire life.

Keep your sexual function healthy

If you encounter challenges like ED as you age, it could be worth considering medical treatments and lifestyle treatments.

Maintain a balanced and healthy lifestyle

As we mentioned, the healthier you are later in life, the more likely you are to remain sexually active. That means prioritising exercise, a balanced diet and limiting how much you drink and smoke can all help to improve your physical health and wellbeing.

The better you treat your body, the better you'll feel in the bedroom for decades to come.

^{The information on this page is general information and should not be used to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease. Do not use the information found on this page as a substitute for professional health care advice. Any information you find on this page or on external sites which are linked to on this page should be verified with your professional health care provider.}