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Sex After 60: What Changes and What Helps
How many are still at it, what changes with age and when a GP can help.
Many people still have sex after 60. In a 2007 New England Journal of Medicine study, US adults aged 57 to 85 (interviewed 2005 to 2006) reported sexual contact with a partner in the previous 12 months: 73% at 57 to 64, 53% at 65 to 74, 26% at 75 to 85. Any sexual contact counted, not just intercourse.
How Common Is Sex in Later Life?
The stereotype says people stop. The surveys show many carry on, though fewer as years pass.
- 54%of sexually active US adults aged 75 to 85 had sexual contact at least two or three times a month (New England Journal of Medicine, interviews 2005 to 2006)
- 67%of US adults aged 60 to 69 said they currently had a regular sexual partner (AARP survey, 2022)
- 17%of US adults aged 70 and over averaged intercourse at least weekly over the previous six months (AARP survey, 2022)
- 40.2%of British men and 57.9% of women aged 65 to 74 had no opposite-sex partner in the past year (Natsal-3, 2010 to 2012)
Treat these as snapshots, not a trend: each survey asked different questions over different periods. AARP’s 2022 survey of US adults found 47% of those aged 50 and over had no intercourse in the previous six months.
What Changes, and What Helps
What can change
- Desire. Age UK says it is completely normal for sexual needs to change, and The Menopause Society says desire may drop, rise or stay put at midlife.
- Erections and comfort. The UK’s NHS calls erection problems very common, particularly in men over 40, and says vaginal dryness is common and can make sex painful. More on menopause and sex drive.
- Health. The US National Institute on Aging (NIA) says arthritis, diabetes, depression and some blood pressure medicines can affect sex.
- Time and privacy. The NIA says many older couples may have fewer distractions and more time and privacy, and many are more satisfied with sex than when younger.
What helps
- Lubricant. The NHS (2025) lists water-based lubricant before sex and vaginal moisturisers as self-help for dryness.
- Medicines. Age UK (2026) says not to stop or start a medicine without asking the doctor.
- Treatment. Age UK (2026) says effective treatments exist for erection problems.
What does not change? You can still catch an STI: the NIA says age does not protect you from sexually transmitted diseases, so safer sex over 50 still matters.
How Do You Bring It Up?
Britain’s Natsal-3 survey (interviews 2010 to 2012) linked low sexual function to older age, depression, poor health and difficulty talking about sex with a partner.
Pick a calm moment, start warm
Not in the heat of the moment. Say what you enjoy or want more of before mentioning what is not working.
Ask, then listen
Ask what they like, what they would skip and whether anything hurts. Age UK says agreeing once is not agreeing every time.
Agree how to stop
Settle on a word or gesture that means pause. The NHS says consent can be withdrawn at any time.
When Is It Time to See a GP?
The UK’s NHS and Age UK give these reasons to see a GP (pages dated 2023 to 2026):
- erection problems that keep happening, which the NHS says might signal a treatable condition; it also warns that many websites sell fake medicines
- dryness that lasts a few weeks despite self-help, affects daily life, or comes with unusual discharge or bleeding after sex (NHS)
- a drop in desire that worries you, or that you would like to change (NHS and Age UK)
- a new diagnosis or operation, when Age UK says to check with the doctor that sex is safe
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Sources and Dates
Treat this as general information, not medical advice. For anything about your own body or medicines, ask a GP or a sexual health clinic.
- Lindau and colleagues, New England Journal of Medicine, 2007: US adults aged 57 to 85, interviewed 2005 to 2006; counted any mutually agreed sexual contact.
- AARP Research, “Ageless Desire”, 2023: US adults aged 40 and over, surveyed in late 2022.
- Mercer, Mitchell and colleagues, The Lancet, 2013: Natsal-3 (British National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles), interviewed 2010 to 2012; opposite-sex partners only.
- US National Institute on Aging, “Sexuality and Intimacy in Older Adults”, reviewed 2022.
- UK NHS pages, year last reviewed: erectile dysfunction (2023), vaginal dryness (2025), menopause symptoms and low sex drive (2026), sexually transmitted infections, sexual health clinics and consent (2024).
- Age UK, “Sex in later life” and “Consent and abuse” (2026); The Menopause Society, “Sexual Health” (undated, read 19 October 2026).
Questions About Sex After 60
Do old people still have sex?
Yes, many do. A New England Journal of Medicine study (US adults, interviewed 2005 to 2006) found 53% of those aged 65 to 74 and 26% of those aged 75 to 85 had sexual contact with a partner in the previous 12 months, with or without intercourse.
How often do seniors have sex?
It varies a lot. In AARP’s 2022 survey of US adults, the share averaging intercourse at least weekly over the previous six months was 34% for ages 50 to 59, 26% for 60 to 69 and 17% for 70 and over. The Menopause Society says there is no normal frequency at any age.
Can you catch an STI after 60?
Yes. The US National Institute on Aging says age does not protect you from sexually transmitted diseases, and the UK’s NHS says many infections cause no symptoms. The UK’s NHS says its sexual health clinics are open to everyone whatever their age.