Whether you’re a swinging septuagenarian or just a curious young whippersnapper, we suspect you’re here because you have questions about the intimate lives of older people.
We’ll cross our fingers that your search results weren’t too…uh, graphic…on the way here. While many younger individuals look at seniors as infirm, elderly or off their game, there’s plenty of reason to believe that the retirement-age generation is having some of the best intimacy of their lives.
Cars replaced horses a very long time ago, but if you’re looking to get back in the saddle yourself, you don’t need to be self-conscious, ashamed or feel like you’re the odd man out. You do, however, need to keep some precautions and tips in mind to stay safe, uninjured and able to keep performing until your centennial.
Below, we’ll go over some essential health data for any active senior and offer tips for those who’ve been out of commission (and those who need a tune-up).
Can a 70-Year-Old Man Be Intimately Active?
Of course, 70-year-old men can be active. Michael Caine is in his 90s, and if you don’t think…okay, we’ll skip the detailed imagery. The point is, age doesn’t limit your active intimate life any more than calorie data limits ice cream intake.
Provided you’re in good-ish health, you can enjoy intimacy over 70 and well beyond. But various issues could prevent you from getting intimate in your gilded years.
We’re going to assume pregnancy isn’t your main goal. But beyond fertility, some intimate-related changes may take place as you get older:
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Your overall drive might become weaker, reducing your interest in intimacy.
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You could develop ED and struggle to get or stay hard enough for intimate.
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It might be more difficult to reach climax, and climaxing may be delayed or hurried.
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Muscle tone, stamina and strength may all decline, making intimatcy more rigorous and challenging.
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Your injury risk goes up due to brittle bones and weaker muscles.
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You might experience a gradual decline in testosterone levels.
Senior Intimacy and Well-Being
The good news is that, while intimacy may not make these specific problems disappear, it can have a generally positive impact on your life — and maybe indirectly make your intimate life better, too.
Scientists (even the ones not yet in their 70s) generally agree that older intimacy presents numerous quality-of-life benefits, including:
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Higher enjoyment of life. A study surveyed nearly 7,000 men and women with a mean age of 65. It found that seniors who reported at least one intimate event in the past year had higher enjoyment of life scores than their peers.
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Improved overall health. Intimacy is a form of mild exercise, similar to a leisurely walk. In one study, healthcare professionals looked at the effects of physical and mental health conditions on activity in adults in The Villages — a retirement community in Florida. It concluded that activity offers physical and emotional health benefits.
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Better social life. The above study also mentioned that people with active intimate lives in this age bracket were generally more social in their retirement communities.
Tips for Enjoying Intimacy After 70
As a healthy aging man, you want to have better intimacy than ever, as often as possible, without causing any problems like STDs or medical conditions like chronic pain. You’ll also want to manage your risk of heart attack. It’s a long list of big ambitions.
How you get there is up to you, but we’re certain you won’t hit peak good intimacy without doing the following things.
Check Your General Health Regularly
Look, getting old while intimately active is like driving a classic car: You’re going to get lots of looks, but you have to take the thing to the shop anytime it’s not working correctly.
Part of this is just ED prevention. Cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes are two common causes of ED, and both occur more frequently in older adults.
Regularly check in with your primary care provider about your health and testosterone levels (which research suggests decrease at an average of 1.6 percent a year).
Atherosclerosis (clogged arteries) and hypertension (high blood pressure) are also known causes of ED that occur more frequently in middle-aged and older men.
Maintain a Healthy, Active Lifestyle
Exercise is crucial for keeping medical conditions that could cause ED at bay. Conversely, a sedentary lifestyle can increase your risk of erectile dysfunction. So maintain a healthy, active lifestyle, engage in regular physical activity and try to eat a balanced diet.
We’re not talking marathons and deadlifts — a daily walk around the neighborhood and a salad for dinner are great starts, especially if the salad contains lean sources of protein.
Staying active may have the added benefit of improving brain function and protecting against cognitive impairment.
Sweating to the oldies takes on a new meaning if you’re hitting the gym for intimacy after 60. Yes, having intimacy burns calories, but keeping the pace up builds cardio health and stamina.
It can also help you maintain a healthy body weight, all of which reduce your risk of age-related health problems like heart disease that could keep you from making love.
(Related: The Best ED Pills for Men: Pros & Cons of ED Medication)
Take Care of Your Brain
Speaking of the ol’ brain, it’s important to protect what’s upstairs.
Sure, cognitive decline is no one’s idea of a retirement plan, but anxiety, depression, performance anxiety and psychological ED will affect your performance if left untreated. Your self-esteem, comfort with your body and overall happiness can impact erectile health at any age.
You can go to all types of therapy, too, so if the idea of speaking with a intimacy therapist is worrisome, other options exist.
Consider Using Medication to Treat ED
ED is treatable with medication, in many cases. The FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) has approved a number of PDE5 inhibitors, including sildenafil (the active ingredient in Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis), vardenafil (Levitra) and avanafil (Stendra).
These medications work to improve blood flow to your privates and are safe and effective for older men. Still, inform your healthcare provider about other medications you use because some ED medications interact poorly with others.
Understand the Importance of Lubrication
Intimacy function problems aren’t just a guy’s issue. Women experience hormonal changes with age, leading to dryness, which can make intimacy less enjoyable for everyone.
Luckily, this type of dysfunction can be solved relatively easily with patience, support and lube.
Make Sure to Practice Safe Intimacy
While STDs are a risk for any age group, it turns out that older adults may think less about these risks. That’s what a dramatic worldwide increase in infections among older adults says to us, anyway.
Getting tested for STDs is a vital part of safe intimacy, as are condoms, which are the second best way of avoiding STIs— the number one way, of course, is abstinence.
Remember Your Partner Is Aging Too
Maybe you’re one of those guys dating well out of his age range — and more power to you if you’re having a good time. For the rest of us, though, our partners in the same general age range are aging at a similar rate, and they’ll eventually have their own age-related problems.
For older women, menopause affects drive, estrogen production, natural lubrication and reproductive health. That’s not to mention the same potential heart issues and other health risks that increase as the number of candles on their birthday cakes does.
Just because you feel like you could go fight a bear doesn’t mean your partner is feeling as virile. So make sure to communicate, and be aware of limitations on both sides of the bed.
Try Thinking Outside the Box
Maybe the last time you read intimacy tips, they were written by an under-40 Hugh Hefner. But creativity shouldn’t be something you outgrow, you know? It should be something that becomes more prevalent over time, like incontinence.
Toys are also great tools for keeping things interesting.
When in Doubt, Keep It Simple
Remember, man, no pressure. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by what seems necessary for a satisfying intimate life, take a step back. Ignore what’s trendy or new, and don’t feel obligated to have intimacy on a daily basis or every other day — it doesn’t even have to be once a week or once a fortnight.
Do what you enjoy, and don’t compete with anyone. Intimacy isn’t a competition — an intimate relationship with your partner is cooperative.
(Related: How Often Do Couples Have Intimacy?)
Enjoying Intimacy at 70: Takeaways
Age is just a number, sir. And if you’re trying to increase your number of partners while enjoying your best years, more power to you.
Intimate desires change as you age, as does your ability to get up and out. But if you’ve got one (or one hundred) last rides in you, here’s what we’d say before you ride out of town:
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As you age, issues like erectile dysfunction become more common.
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Getting and maintaining a hard-on after 65 is often more of a challenge than it was when you were younger.
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ED medications, a healthy, active lifestyle and generally taking care of your mind and body can help you live your love life to the fullest.
Luckily, this isn’t a ride you have to take alone. We’re here to help, especially with questions about how often couples have intimacy, what age men stop being intimately active and what happens when a man is not intimately active.
This article originally appeared on Hims.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
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Weight Loss Medications: Are They Actually Effective?
It’s common knowledge that managing your weight keeps you healthy now and as you get older. In fact, obesity contributes to several health conditions, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer.
Not only was the prevalence of obesity in U.S. adults nearly 42 percent in 2017, but the estimated medical costs for adults with obesity were almost $2,000 more each year than for adults who do not have obesity .
Those who have a body mass index (BMI, or the measurement of fat based on height and weight) between 25 and 30 are considered overweight, while those with a BMI over 30 are considered to have obesity.
You’ve probably heard of a few weight loss medications, or at least their brand names, like Ozempic® and Wegovy®. However, there are several other prescription drugs available that are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and frequently prescribed off-label for weight loss.
Healthcare providers may prescribe these medications to someone who has obesity or is overweight with a weight-related health problem like high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes.
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You’re probably familiar with one of semaglutide’s brand names, Ozempic — other brand names for this drug include Wegovy and Rybelsus®.
Ozempic is approved by the FDA to treat type 2 diabetes and may be prescribed off-label for weight loss, in combination with lifestyle changes like diet and exercise or with other diabetes medications like insulin or metformin.
Wegovy, meanwhile, is a prescription medication approved for use for weight loss in people who have obesity or who are overweight.
Ozempic and Wegovy are in a class of medication called GLP-1 receptor agonists, which mimic the hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 and target areas of the brain that regulate appetite.
Ozempic was approved by the FDA in 2017, while Wegovy was granted approval to pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk more recently, in 2021.
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Although only approved by the FDA to treat diabetes, metformin is often used off-label for weight loss, as well as gestational diabetes (a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy) and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
It isn’t exactly clear how metformin helps people lose weight, but researchers think the drug works as an appetite suppressant. Similarly to Ozempic, metformin may increase how much GLP-1 hormone your body makes. This can send a signal to your brain that you’re full, which means you eat fewer calories.
Read our blog to learn about Ozempic vs. Metformin for weight loss.
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If you’ve dealt with depression or looked into medication to quit smoking, bupropion may sound familiar to you.
For weight loss, it can be combined with the drug naltrexone, which is used to treat alcohol and drug dependence, to curb your hunger or make you feel fuller sooner. Together, these medications work on two areas of the brain, the hunger center and the reward system, to reduce appetite and help control cravings.
Along with a reduced calorie diet and exercise plan, naltrexone-bupropion can also help keep excess weight off.
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Phentermine-topiramate is actually two separate medications that are combined in Qsymia, but are offered separately in other applications.
While phentermine is considered an anorectic and topiramate is an anticonvulsant, both help with appetite suppression.
Topiramate offers the added benefit of helping you feel fuller longer after you eat.
When used specifically with a healthy exercise regimen and a reduced calorie diet, these medications — either together or separately — have been shown to help people lose weight and keep it off.
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Orlistat, which belongs to a class of medications known as lipase inhibitors, reduces the amount of fat your body absorbs from the food you eat.
Orlistat is used for weight loss in conjunction with exercise and a reduced-calorie diet, as well as after weight loss to help people keep from gaining back that weight.
While the brand name Xenical requires a prescription, another brand called Alli is available in a lower dosage without one.
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Like Ozempic and Wegovy, liraglutide is an injected weight loss medication. It works as a GLP-1 receptor agonist to suppress appetite, similarly to semaglutide.
Also available under the brand name Victoza at a lower dose, this drug is FDA-approved to treat type 2 diabetes.
(Related: Weight Loss Injections: Are They Safe?)
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These weight loss drugs are all available with a prescription from a healthcare professional, but how effective are they really?
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One study found that when people without diabetes took a weekly semaglutide injection they had a higher average weight loss — almost a 15 percent average decrease in weight — than people who took a placebo.
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Metformin has also demonstrated clinically significant weight loss. A 2020 meta-analysis of 21 trials testing metformin found the drug had a modest impact on lowering BMI, especially for those who are considered to have obesity.
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A smaller study on metformin also found that the average amount of weight lost in 154 patients was between 5.6 and 7 kgs (that’s roughly between 13 and 15 pounds).
It’s also worth mentioning cost here — if you can’t afford the drug you need to take, it’s effectiveness essentially drops to zero percent. That said, there’s some wide price disparity between weight loss drugs.
For instance, injectibals like Ozempic and Wegovy are generally more expensive than orals like metformin — namely because metformin is a generic medication that’s been around for decades, and Ozempic and Wegovy are newer.
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Because everyone’s weight loss journey is different, weight loss medications may work slowly for some people and faster for others.
How long you need to take a weight loss prescription drug depends on various factors such as what side effects you experience, how much weight you need to lose, whether the drug helps keep the weight off and more.
Generally, as found in the studies noted above and clinical trials, weight loss will occur within the first few months of using the medication.
Sometimes your health care professional may recommend long-term use of the medication, while other people may be advised to stop the drug if they don’t lose a certain amount of weight after 12 weeks.
If you’re taking a weight loss medication, your healthcare provider will likely suggest that you also increase your physical activity and make healthy lifestyle changes like eating lots of protein and fiber and getting enough sleep. These medications are the most effective when combined with healthy habits.
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Just like any medication, weight loss drugs also come with the possibility of side effects.
When it comes to injectibal drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, there are some broad side effects that apply to all injectibals — like swelling, redness or other discomfort at the injection site — but generally, the side effects profiles of these drugs are similar regardless of delivery method.
The most common side effects of many of these weight loss medications include:
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Stomach pain or constipation
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Diarrhea
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Nausea
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Vomiting
Some, like liraglutide and naltrexone-bupropion, may cause an increased heart rate or headaches.
Liraglutide and semaglutide may also increase the risk of pancreatitis (swelling of the pancreas). You may also have a higher risk of developing tumors or thyroid cancer when using liraglutide or semaglutide, although these serious side effects are very rare.
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There’s a good chance you’ve heard of weight loss medications like Ozempic or even Wegovy, but there’s also a good chance that the headlines and celebrity-focused articles didn’t answer all your questions. Here’s what you need to know about whether they’re effective.
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There are several FDA-approved weight loss drugs, including semaglutide, orlistat, phentermine-topiramate, naltrexone-bupropion and liraglutide. Metformin is another common medication used off-label for weight management.
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These drugs all work slightly differently, but many decrease your appetite and help you stick to a lower-calorie diet. Healthcare providers often recommend they be used alongside regular exercise and healthy habits to maximize sustained weight loss.
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However, there are side effects such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation and, for the injectibals, injection-side irritation, injury or discomfort. Often, these are mild and serious side effects rarely happen.
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Cost is also worth considering. Injectibals like Ozempic and Wegovy can generally cost anywhere from $800 to $1,000 per prescription, where a generic like metformin can be had for a fraction of that — usually for under $100 a month.
There’s no one “best weight loss medication” — there’s only what’s best for your particular needs. If you’re curious about medication for weight loss, you can talk to your healthcare provider for medical advice and to explore your options. And if you’re interested in other weight loss treatments online, we can help.
This article originally appeared on Forhers.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
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