Sex After 35

Take action. "A young man can get an erection at the drop of a hat -- or bra," says Judith Seifer, president of the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists. But after 35, he may be turned on less by what he sees than by his wife's kissing and caressing. The University of Chicago study found that 51 percent of 25- to 29-year-old men became excited when they watched their wives undress. By the mid-40s, the percentage dropped to 40. Once couples learn to pay less attention to what they see and more to what they do, says New York City sex and marital therapist Shirley Zussman, their sex lives improve dramatically.

Balance the seesaw. When they were first married, the man remembered, he always took the sexual lead, pulling his wife close and whispering his desire to make love. But now, 20 years later, she often makes the first move.

Again, hormonal changes are bringing the couple into closer balance. Men and women both produce testosterone and estrogen, but the proportion of each changes over the years. The male's shifting levels of estrogen and testosterone may make him more willing to follow than to lead, happy for his wife to set the pace. And as a woman's estrogen declines and her testosterone becomes proportionately greater, she may become more assertive.

Dare to experiment. As partners become older, more experienced and more trusting of each other, they may become less inhibited in their views of what constitutes satisfying sex. "When we were first married, I couldn't have imagined myself saying 'Touch me there,'" one woman says. "The scenario has changed now, but it's not that we're all that different. It's that our relationship just got deeper."

Says Zussman, "It's a time for new ideas, or a new look at old ideas."She recalls one 40-ish couple seeking to put more zest into their relationship. "Do you ever shower together?" Zussman asked. The two looked at each other. "We used to," the wife said sheepishly. "Try it again," the therapist suggested. They did -- and it worked.

"Intercourse isn't everything," Zussman says. "It's like the old travel slogan: getting there is half the fun."

Achieve more from less. The University of Chicago survey showed that nearly half of 25- to 29-year-olds said they made love at least two or three times a week, including 11 percent reporting four times or more. By the early 40s, the number had fallen to 30 percent. The largest proportion, 45 percent, reported sex "a few times per month" (possibly due, in part, to fatigue and the demands of child-rearing). Yet more than any other group, men and women in their 40s considered themselves emotionally and physically satisfied by their lovemaking.

As the frequency drops, couples should realize that each encounter can become more special, a moment to be anticipated and savored. In a secure relationship, there is less emphasis on how often, and more on how good. "I find that people in their 40s or so remember this moment or that moment, whereas to the younger ones, it may be all a blur," says Zussman. "When it's no longer an everyday thing, it means more."

A gratifying sex life after 35 calls for a series of adjustments. Some people confront them poorly: the 45-year-old male who skitters off after a 21-year-old cocktail waitress, the middle-aged woman who flirts to prove that her allure hasn't faded. But for couples who understand the normal and inevitable changes, and meet them together, sexual pleasure can be greater than ever. Their sex lives will be rich in their 40s, 50s -- and beyond.