National News
By Fritz Esker
Special to the NNPA
from the Louisiana
Weekly
T
he month of May is
designated “Older
Americans” Month.
This little-known designa-
tion is not new. Initially
established by President
John F. Kennedy in 1963,
the month exists to highlight
a variety of important is sues
for the United States’ older
population.
One such topic is sex. And
for older Americans, more
and more are enjoying an
active love life well into
their golden years.
According to Dudley
Danoff, MD, an author and
expert in the field of urolo-
gy, the increase in sexual
intercourse in older Ameri-
cans can be attributed to a
number of factors. Top on
the list is that more Ameri-
cans are living longer.
Danoff, who began his
practice over 40 years ago,
says that initially he saw on
average one patient a month
who was 100 years of age or
older. Now, he says he aver-
ages two to three such
patients in a week.
However, an increase in
older Americans is not the
only reason for the spike. In
years past, men who lived
long lives often had physi-
cal obstacles to engaging in
intercourse. But with the
advent of medications like
Viagra, Cialis, Levitra, etc.,
a greater number of male
senior citizens are able to
enjoy an active sex life.
Danoff believes this is a
positive trend. Many Amer-
icans still believe that sex is
something for the young (or
at least middle-aged). But
Danoff said that if a person
is healthy enough to get out
of bed, do some simple
exercises, and take a few
steps, then he or she can
have sex.
“You don’t stop having
sex because you get older,”
Danoff said. “If you stop
having sex, then you get
older.”
There are, of course, chal-
lenges and obstacles for
older people having sex. It
can take a longer time for a
man to get an erection and
may be more difficult to
maintain it. A man may
require a longer time in
between sexual encounters
before being able to achieve
orgasm again. Medications
can help with these prob-
lems.
Part of the issue stems
from the testosterone loss
that men suffer from after
age 40, about one percent
per year. Danoff says men
should be cautious in pursu-
ing
testosterone
supplements,
though,
because it might increase a
patient’s risk for prostate
cancer. This is especially
PHOTO COURTESY OF
More Senior Citizens Maintaining an Active Sex Life
achieve erection and climax
too quickly. This isn’t as
much of an issue in old age.
Older Americans often
have more time that they
can devote to sex. If their
important, Dr. Danoff
believes there is another,
more important factor.
“Above all, you have to
have a sense of humor and
realistic
expectation,”
‘You don’t stop having sex because you get
older. If you stop having sex, then you get older’
Dudley Danoff, MD
pertinent for African-Amer-
ican men, who are already
at higher risk for the dis-
ease.
Patients
should
consult a urologist before
taking supplements.
On the other hand, older
age opens up a variety of
opportunities in the bed-
room, too. Danoff said the
necessity of longer foreplay
can be positive. He said
many younger patients
complain to him that they
children are out of the
house, they’re less likely to
have interruptions or other
obligations when they’re at
home. If they’re retired,
they have even more time
available without a job com-
mitment. But while time is
Danoff said.
But with more sexual
activity, there are also
increased risks for sexually
transmitted diseases in older
demographics. With the
possibility of pregnancy
disappearing after a certain
age, it can be more tempting
for seniors to forego protec-
tion during sex. According
to statistics from the
Louisiana De part ment of
Health and Hospitals, HIV
diagnoses in older Louisian -
ians
went
up
from
2010-2011 (2011 is the most
recent year the DHH has
compiled the relevant
stats).
For Louisianians aged 65
and over, the number
climbed from 13 in 2010 to
18 in 2011. In the 55-64 age
bracket, the number rose
from 66 in 2010 to 78 in
2011. The age 45-54 demo-
graphic went up from 207 in
2010 to 232 in 2011. How-
ever, it should be noted that
every age group in
Louisiana except 0-12 saw
an increase in HIV diag-
noses from 2010 to 2011.
Danoff said there are no
unique precautions seniors
must take to prevent sexual-
ly transmitted diseases.
Those having sex in a
monogamous relationship
should be worry-free, but
those engaging in higher-
risk intercourse should still
use condoms.
“If you are engaging in
high-risk sex at any age,
you are exposing yourself to
the risk of HIV and AIDS,”
said Dr. Danoff.
This article originally
published in the April 20,
2015 print edition of The
Louisiana Weekly newspa-
per.
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April 29, 2015 The Portland and Seattle Skanner Page 9