This video is from the WebMD
Video Archive

You are in the WebMD Content Archive for WebMD Video.

WebMD archives all video content after 48 months to ensure our readers can easily find the most timely content.

To locate the most current information on this topic, please use our search box

Do we have less ability for arousal as we age?

Michael Perelman, PhD, Sex and Marital Therapist:

I think our physical capacity is limited and diminishes with age, and yet that doesn't mean that the net experience has to be worse. For instance, I play tennis much better today than I did 25 years ago, and yet that man 25 years ago, could certainly outrun, outhit, outdo anything except outscore me today because I'm more strategic. The life experience of playing for so many years would assist me, and in much the same way, someone who knows his partner, is known by his partner, who has the ability to be relaxed and be comfortable and enjoy each other can have a great sex life. And the irony is that those people who come to me later in life who have had problems, fortunately for them, they actually have some of the best times to look forward to sexually, whereas people who had fabulous sex lives when they were younger may notice some progressive things where things aren't quite as great as they were, even though it's still wonderful. So getting help later on in life is very often a good idea, not a bad idea.