Most aging males continue to experience considerable pleasure from their orgasmic responses. In fact, 73% of older men in one study reported that orgasm was "very important" in their sexual experiences (Starr & Weiner, 1981). However, they may note a decline in intensity. Frequently absent are the sensations of ejaculatory inevitability that correspond with the emission phase of ejaculation. The number of muscular contractions occurring during the expulsion phase is typically reduced and so is the force of ejaculation (Nusbaum et al., 2005).
Resolution Phase
Resolution typically occurs more rapidly in older men (Nusbaum et al., 2005). Loss of erection is usually quite rapid, especially compared with that of younger men. Resolution becomes faster with aging, and the refractory period between orgasm and the next excitement phase gradually lengthens (DeLamater & Friedrich, 2002). Men may begin to notice this as early as their 30s or 40s. Often, by age 60 the refractory period lasts for several hours, even days in some cases.
■ Table 6.4 summarizes the common changes in the sexual response cycles of older women and men.
At a Glance
|
■ TABLE 6.4 Typical Age-Related Changes in the Sexual Response Cycles of Older Men and Women |
||
|
Phase |
Typical Changes in Women |
Typical Changes in Men |
|
Excitement |
■Vaginal lubrication is somewhat delayed and occurs with less volume. ■Vaginal mucosa thins, and length and width of vagina decrease. |
■ Longer time required to obtain an erection. ■ erection may be less firm. |
|
Plateau |
■ Orgasmic platform less pronounced. ■ Less elevation of uterus. |
■ Less overall muscle tension. ■ Less elevation of testes. ■this phase is often elongated in time. |
|
Orgasm |
■ Fewer orgasmic contractions. ■ Occasionally uterine contractions may be painful. |
■Number of muscular contractions decrease, and force of ejaculation is lessened. ■ Sensations of ejaculatory inevitability may be absent. |
|
Resolution |
■ typically occurs more rapidly as vaginal expansion, orgasmic platform, and clitoral retraction disappears soon after orgasm. |
■ Occurs more quickly with rapid loss of erection. ■refractory period between orgasm and the next excitement phase gradually lengthens. |
|
© Cengage Learning 2014 |
CHAPTER 6