Healthy relationshipsSexual healthWomen's health

How to have healthy, satisfying sex at any age

Expert tips for every decade of a woman’s life.

Jan, 2026
LearnSexual healthHow to have healthy, satisfying sex at any age
Slide 1
Set the right mood in your twenties
Plan ahead in your early thirties
Feel extra confident in your late thirties to forties
Stay pain-free in your fifties
Stay fit in your sixties
Practice safer sex in your seventies
Staying Sexually Active In Your Eighties and Beyond

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Slide 1

Satisfying sex can—and should—happen as you get older.

“A woman's best sex truly can happen at any time,” says Melissa Hague, MD, an OBGYN with Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas. “That applies as long as she feels confident in the person she is, is secure with her partner, and she’s comfortable physically.”

Whatever stage of life you’re in, here are expert-approved tips for having healthy, satisfying sex.

Written byRose Hayes, MA, RN.
Medically reviewed byJoanne Perron, MD.September, 2023
Sources: Kinsey Institute. The Dual Control Model of Sexual Response. Accessed March 17 + 32
  1. Kinsey Institute. The Dual Control Model of Sexual Response. Accessed March 17, 2022.
  2. Bancroft J, Graham CA, Janssen E, Sanders SA. The dual control model: current status and future directions. J Sex Res. 2009;46(2-3):121-142.
  3. Cecilia M. Ford. The New Normal: Sex Educator Emily Nagoski Explains That It’s All Good (Part One). May 12, 2016.
  4. Fleming, John. Gallup Analysis: Millennials, Marriage and Family. May 19, 2016.
  5. Curtin SC, Sutton PD. Marriage rates in the United States, 1900–2018. NCHS Health E-Stat. 2020.
  6. Kim Parker and Renee Stepler. As U.S. marriage rate hovers at 50%, education gap in marital status widens. September 14, 2017.
  7. Polomeno V. Sex and Breastfeeding: An Educational Perspective. J Perinat Educ. 1999;8(1):30-40.
  8. La Leche League International. Breastfeeding and Sex. February 2018.
  9. Rowland M, Foxcroft L, Hopman WM, Patel R. Breastfeeding and sexuality immediately post partum. Can Fam Physician. 2005;51(10):1366-1367.
  10. NCT. 1st 1,000 Days New Parent Support. Breastfeeding and sex: five surprising facts. Last reviewed April 2018.
  11. Morof D, Barrett G, Peacock J, Victor CR, Manyonda I. Postnatal depression and sexual health after childbirth. Obstet Gynecol. 2003;102(6):1318-1325.
  12. Kontula O, Miettinen A. Determinants of female sexual orgasms. Socioaffect Neurosci Psychol. 2016;6:31624. Published 2016 Oct 25.
  13. Mayo Clinic. Menopause. October 14, 2020.
  14. Mayo Clinic. Vaginal dryness after menopause: How to treat it? July 11, 2020.
  15. North American Menopause Society. Pain with Penetration. Accessed March 17, 2022.
  16. Arthritis Foundation. 12 Benefits of Walking. Accessed March 17, 2022.
  17. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Benefits of Physical Activity. Page last reviewed November 1, 2021.
  18. University of Manchester. Love and intimacy in later life: study reveals active sex lives of over-70s. January 28, 2015.
  19. Lee DM, Nazroo J, O'Connor DB, Blake M, Pendleton N. Sexual Health and Well-being Among Older Men and Women in England: Findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Arch Sex Behav. 2016;45(1):133-144.
  20. Holly Cooper Ford. UVA Health. Sex After 60: STD Rates Booming for Boomers. April 11, 2019.
  21. Patricia Scanlon. The Well by Northwell. After Decades of Decline, STD Rates are Rising. February 14, 2020.
  22. ACRIA and the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA). Older Adults and Sexual Health: A Guide for Aging Services Providers. Updated September 2020.
  23. Thornton J. WHO report shows that women outlive men worldwide. BMJ 2019; 365 :l1631.
  24. Trudel-Fitzgerald C, Zevon ES, Kawachi I, Tucker-Seeley RD, Grodstein F, Kubzansky LD. The Prospective Association of Social Integration With Life Span and Exceptional Longevity in Women. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2020;75(10):2132-2141.
  25. Sneed, R. S., & Cohen, S. (2013). A prospective study of volunteerism and hypertension risk in older adults. Psychology and Aging, 28(2), 578–586.
  26. Aonuma R, Mayers T, Mizukami K, Aonuma K, Matsuda H. Factors Associated with Volunteer Activities and Sleep Efficiency in Older Adults with Hypertension: A Sequential Model Study. Geriatrics (Basel). 2021;6(3):89. Published 2021 Sep 11.
  27. Kontula O, Miettinen A. Determinants of female sexual orgasms. Socioaffect Neurosci Psychol. 2016;6:31624. Published 2016 Oct 25.
  28. Gavin, Kara. Sex After 65: Poll Finds Gender Differences, Lack of Communication. Michigan Medicine. May 3, 2018.
  29. Stentagg M, Skär L, Berglund JS, Lindberg T. Cross-Sectional Study of Sexual Activity and Satisfaction Among Older Adult's ≥60 Years of Age. Sex Med. 2021;9(2):100316.
  30. National Institute on Aging. Sexuality and Intimacy in Older Adults. Content reviewed: April 18, 2022.
  31. Bhatia R, Hirsch C, Arnold AM, Newman AB, Mukamal KJ. Social networks, social support, and life expectancy in older adults: the Cardiovascular Health Study. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2023;111:104981.
  32. Mayo Clinic Health System. Helping people, changing lives: 3 health benefits of volunteering. August 1, 2023.
  33. Kimberly J Jennings, Luis de Lecea, Neural and Hormonal Control of Sexual Behavior, Endocrinology, Volume 161, Issue 10, October 2020.

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