For couples of any age, sexual dysfunction–the inability of both partners to fully enjoy sexual intercourse–can be an obstacle not only to having children but also to maintaining a positive and loving relationship. Problems of this kind are common, affecting more than half of all couples at some time, according to some studies. While sexual dysfunction rarely threatens physical health, it can take a heavy psychological toll, bringing on depression, anxiety, and debilitating feelings of inadequacy. Problems may be difficult to resolve without expert help, especially because misinformation is one of the leading causes of sexual dysfunction. One example of misinformation is that impotence is an unavoidable consequence of aging. In reality, healthy men can enjoy sexual intimacy well into their senior years. Achieving an erection may take 5 to 15 minutes of genital stimulation, however.

Another erroneous belief is that women have no interest in sex after a hysterectomy. Although there may be a decrease in vaginal lubrication if the ovaries are removed along with the uterus, libido (the sex drive) remains intact–and, because any worries about pregnancy are gone, it may even increase.

As people live longer and attitudes change, more older couples desire to prolong the years of healthy sexuality. Sex in old age was at one time thought to be inappropriate and even immoral, now, both physical and emotional intimacy are seen as important to well–being throughout life. Although sexual desire and the frequency of intercourse decline with age, sexual enjoyment and satisfaction do not. For couples in good health, sexual activity, which includes touching and caressing, may continue into the eighties and even nineties. Sexual dysfunction takes different forms in men and women.

Sexual Headaches
For years, partners have used headache as an excuse to avoid lovemaking. But for some people, lovemaking causes the headache! Forty–year old Shankar was making love to his wife when the pain exploded in his head. “I felt as if someone had plunged an ice pick into the back of my skull”, he reported to his doctor later. The pain lingered for about an hour, with no other symptoms, so Shankar dismissed the episode as a fluke.

When the pain returned a few days later, once again as Shankar was approaching orgasm, he could no longer ignore it. Was he about to die from a brain hemorrhage or aneurysm? Was his sex life in danger of dying, too? The pain he’d experienced, though short–lived, was enough to make Shankar fearful of making love again.

Though reluctant to discuss his sex life with his doctor, Shankar made an appointment and described his symptoms. To his relief, the doctor was able to rule out a hemorrhage or other life–threatening conditions. He diagnosed Shankar’s pain as benign sexual headache, a lesser–known type of headache triggered by orgasm.