[The sexual life of 60-year-old Danish men].

INTRODUCTION

The sexuality of men is influenced by many factors, and there are changes throughout life. In a literature search only 35 fairly representative cross-sectional studies of elderly men were found. There is no population study of elderly Danish men's sexuality. The aim of our study was to describe the sexual life of a group of 60-year-old men from the Copenhagen area.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The material is a random sample of 66 men from a cohort found to be fairly representative of 60-year-old men in the County of Copenhagen. The men were interviewed using structured guidelines, which also included open questions.

RESULTS

Around half of the men felt sexual desire once a week or more. Around one third had had fewer than four sexual partners throughout their lives, and six per cent did not have a partner at the time of the interview. Slightly more than half had intercourse once a month or more. Two thirds masturbated. One tenth had problems with the erection. Two thirds were satisfied with their sexual life.

DISCUSSION

This study reveals a large variation in the sexual life of elderly Danish men.