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Men's Sexual Desire Peaks Later Than You Might Think

Men's Sexual Desire Peaks Later Than You Might Think

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when the average woman’s sexual “peak” is, according to licensed sexologist and relationship therapist Sofie Roos. Studies have found that while women’s drive is at its highest between the ages of 27 and 40, sexual satisfaction reaches its peak after 80. “Sexual quality is extremely individual, and it’s difficult to rank it through life,” she previously told us. But if we’re talking pure drive, new research published in Scientific Reports has put a number on when men seem to have the most interest in sex. Men’s sexual desire seems to peak at around 40 Looking at data from over 73,000 participants in the Estonian Biobank, researchers wanted to see how age, gender, relationship status, sexual orientation, and number of children affected people’s sex lives. They surveyed people involved in the study and found men’s sexual desire peaked around the age of 40. What’s more, the average 40-year-old man’s sex drive was typically higher than that of men in their early 20s. “This pattern is surprising because it does not align with the well-documented trajectory of testosterone decline, which begins gradually after the early 30s and continues throughout life,” the researchers added. They think that could mean other factors, like relational dynamics, might be at play (partnered men had, on average, a higher desire rate). What else did the researchers find? Women’s sex drives appeared to be lower than men’s in this study, and those with no kids had a higher drive on average than those who had them. In fact, the researchers wrote, “even the peak of average women’s sexual desire at ages around 20 to 30 remains lower than men’s average levels across much of adulthood”. Age-related declines in sex drive happened to both groups, but appeared more pronounced in women. Women’s drives were also more variable. For men, a higher number of children predicted a greater, not lesser, sex drive; for women, this seemed to have the opposite effect. Why were these results so different? The researchers didn’t seek to answer that, stressing that these are only averages, and not a one-size-fits-all rule. However, they speculated that “biological factors, such as testosterone levels, and sociocultural norms that promote greater sexual agency in men, likely contribute to these differences”. And when it comes to the sex drive divide among parents, they added, “women often experience a decline in sexual desire as relationship duration increases, partly due to decreased novelty and increased caregiving responsibilities, which may reduce opportunities for erotic autonomy and spontaneity”. Related... Women Share The Unusual Symptoms They've Had With An Orgasm ADHD Makes Orgasming Harder, Sex Therapist Says – But 4 Steps Can Help A Sexologist's 7 Rules For Great Sex During And After Menopause