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Sexuality In Middle Adulthood Essay

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For most people, sexuality in middle adulthood is different from sex when they were younger, with some benefits and some drawbacks with the increase in age. These changes have a variety of causes including both psychological and physiological factors that affect both sexual desire and performance. Both men and women experience changes in hormones as the age (especially with women after menopause). Women typically have decrease in estrogen and men typically with have a decrease in testosterone. With both sexes, the decreases in these hormones can cause loss of desire and libido, but they also have physical changes, for example, the lower estrogen may cause vaginal dryness, making sex uncomfortable for them and their partner. Many men will …show more content…
Another medication based treatment is erectile dysfunction drugs, such as Viagra, which allow proper blood flow into the penis. These drugs also have side effects though (such as headache and decreased blood pressure) and can also be quite expensive (up to $50 per pill). Non-pharmacological options can also address many of these physical issues. For vaginal dryness, using a water or silicone based sexual lubricant can be helpful, and for erectile dysfunction, a vacuum penis pump can be used. Problems related to sexuality in middle age are unfortunately not all related to physical issues. Many people at this time in their lives tend to be quite busy, they are often busy with being at the height of their careers and also being busy with other engagements, often leaving them stressed and having little time of energy for sexuality. While this issue can be difficult to resolve, planning time for romance and sex and also using stress management techniques can be helpful. Other major complaints are anger and resentment and lack of communication, which can often be resolved by improving communication techniques or seeing

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