In older age, sex may be good for women, less so for men

By Kathryn Doyle (Reuters Health) - Among people in their mid-50s or older who report having frequent, enjoyable sex, women are likely to have better than average heart health while men are more likely to have heart attacks and other problems, a U.S. study suggests. “The results for women are consistent with our expectation, but the results for men were surprising,” said lead author Hui Liu, an associate professor of sociology at Michigan State University in East Lansing. Older men may have more difficulties reaching an orgasm for medical or emotional reasons and may exert themselves to a greater degree of exhaustion and create relatively more stress on their cardiovascular system in order to achieve climax, Liu told Reuters Health by email.