‘60-year-old women can still reach orgasm’
Ageing does not mean the end of sexual pleasure for women, with health experts challenging misconceptions that women lose the ability to enjoy sex or reach orgasm after the age of 60.
The debate was recently sparked on social media, with claims that older women no longer experience orgasms.
However, a hypnotherapist and relationship coach, Kapadhi Uiras, says sexual desire does not have an expiry date and that women can continue enjoying intimacy well into their later years.
“All this has to do with sexual desire, and all those things do not expire. Not at all. Whether you’re 60 or 70, you can still enjoy sex by reaching orgasm,” she says.
She says while ageing can bring physical changes to the body, these changes do not mean women lose their sexual ability.
“I think it is just because our bodies have changed, it might take a bit longer, or it is not as intense as when you are in your 20s or 30s. But the whole thing depends on your partner too,” she says.
Uiras says emotional connection, communication and feeling valued in a relationship play an important role in women’s sexual experiences.
“For women, sexual desire starts with the mind. How satisfying is that relationship? If the communication is perfect, and I feel loved, and my partner gives me attention and pays attention to me, not only my body – that matters,” she says.
Uiras says many women experience increased pressure and stress when they are younger because of responsibilities such as raising children, managing households and financial challenges.
“When we reach 60, we are more focused on ourselves. When we were young, we had a lot of duties, children, paying bills and all those things. Those things put pressure and stress on women,” she says.
She says stress can affect sexual satisfaction, as emotional well-being is closely linked to intimacy.
General practitioner and public health expert Dr Cornelia Ndifon says it is incorrect to assume women lose sexual function as they age.
“Why can 70-year-old or 80-year-old man have sex and enjoy it, and people expect that a 60-year-old woman does not enjoy sex or reach orgasm?” she asks.
Ndifon says older women continue to have intimate relationships and can experience sexual satisfaction.
“A 60-year-old woman, 70-year-old or 80-year-old, they are having sex and achieving orgasm. There are people who are blessed with long marriages and they are together in their 60s, 70s and 80s,” she says.
Ndifon, however, acknowledges that ageing leads to physical changes, particularly due to declining hormone levels.
“As we age, our hormone levels begin to reduce, and because they reduce, our physical body can have changes. The vagina, for example, can get dry, and because of that dryness, a woman may complain about irritation,” she says.
She says vaginal dryness is a common concern, but can be managed through treatment.
“Once that is taken care of, the woman can achieve orgasm,” Ndifon says.
She says sexual challenges are not exclusive to older women, as younger people can also experience difficulties due to stress, relationship problems or emotional challenges.
“If people are stressed, falling out of love, upset and angry, or if the environment prior to sexual intercourse is not okay, then they won’t have an orgasm, even if they are younger than 60,” she says.
Both experts say open communication between partners, understanding changing bodies and addressing health concerns can help women maintain healthy and fulfilling intimate relationships as they age.
Uiras says society should move away from assumptions about older women’s sexuality.
“Age does not matter. Sexual desire and arousal do not have an expiry date,” she says.
