DR. RUTH SAYS, "AGE DOESN'T DIMINISH SEX, IT ENHANCES IT"

According to world famous sex therapist Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer, author of Dr. Ruth’s Sex After 50: Revving Up the Romance, Passion & Excitement, men and women are sexually active into their 70s, 80s and even 90s.

And, not surprisingly, they seem to be enjoying it. A recent survey of men and women over 45 by AARP The Magazine found a majority of those polled felt that a satisfying sexual relationship was an important quality-of-life consideration.

Sure, aging brings physical and psychological changes, but the misconceptions and inappropriate attitudes developed over the years about the natural aging process may cause more damage to a couple’s sex life than anything physical.

Westheimer says, “Many people enjoy the best sex of their lives after 50. More passionate, more thrilling, and more satisfying sex.” Why? It’s not just Viagra according to Westheimer. Key among the reasons are that mature people are less hesitant to communicate their sexual needs, many women in this age group are postmenopausal and don’t have to worry about becoming pregnant, the kids have grown up and moved out removing any fears the parents may have had about having sex with the kids in the house, and with retirement comes more time for sex.

Westheimer is a proponent of having a satisfying sex life in order to keep your relationship healthy and of keeping your relationship healthy in order to have an satisfying sex life. “It’s a self-nourishing cycle,” she says.

But, if this isn’t happening for you, how do you get it started? Obviously if your relationship is suffering and you spend more time angry with each other than not, it is hard to fall into bed for a passionate love-making session. In this case, according to Westheimer, you might need professional counseling to get back on the right track.

On the other hand, if your relationship is relatively strong but you have fallen into the rut of having sex the same way every time resulting in a case of the bedroom blahs, the answer is simple: Spice up your sex life.

“Kick boredom out of the bedroom,” counsels Westheimer. “There are times when routine is okay, say when you are too tired for anything else, but if you venture out of your normal patterns once in a while, the buildup of sexual energy from these experiences is somehow banked and carried over for the times you’re following your routine. So, move from the bedroom to the living room. If you usually have sex at night, make love in the morning. Eat dinner in the nude. Play strip Trivial Pursuit. Be inventive.”

Westheimer, free spirit that she is, has included a whole chapter of ideas on how to spice up your love life in her new book. You might find some of them too risque to try, but, then again, you might not. Either way, in Dr. Ruth’s Sex After 50, Westheimer revs up the romance, the passion, and the excitement as only Dr. Ruth knows how.

Dr. Ruth’s Sex After 50: Revving up the Romance, Passion & Excitement ($14.95, Quill Driver Books) is available at bookstores, online bookstores, or by calling 1-800-497-4909.