* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Spring is in the air and an older woman’s fancy should turn to having sex regularly, according to the studies cited by Sunday’s Women’s eNews commentary.
Talk about good news—just when many of us were at the end of our ropes, what with the winter’s furious storms, the congressional battle over eliminating funds for contraception, several “armed conflicts” in which soldiers and civilians are still dying, the cut backs in government and private sector spending….
Then some reputable author comes along and encourages us to have fun. Often.
Talk about getting off the beaten path. Most of the U.S. media coverage of sex is focused on abortion and the different attempts to limit access. The recent battle to cut funds for contraceptive care also received a lot of play. The dangers of unprotected sex, including HIV-AIDS, also is mentioned every so often as are the hazards of teen-age pregnancies.
Women’s eNews, in addition to covering these stories also has been producing a series of articles sponsored by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation on African American maternal mortality and the importance of breast-feeding, especially for African-American women.
Instead, Sunday’s piece by Marie Arlene Cameron focuses on the benefits to post-menopausal women, and has absolutely no warnings about bad stuff that could happen.
In fact, now that I have read her commentary, I would like to suggest that there is no reason to wait IF you have someone you would enjoy having sex with. (How to find a reliable sex partner if one is post-menopausal is a whole other matter.) I mean, why not try having sex regularly as soon as the kids are more or less raised or work is no longer all-consuming—whenever that might be.
Here are some of the ways having regular sex after age 55 improves women’s health, says Cameron, author of "Rebooting Your Life – A Women's Guide to Being Vital, Productive and Sexy After 55."
- Reduces pain from arthritis
- Lowers blood pressure
- Reduces risk of heart attack
- Helps manage weight
- Strengthens the Kegel muscles (the ones that control your bladder)
Apparently we can live longer and delay stocking up on Diapers for Adults if we are among the fortunate who have someone in our lives. (And just because no article on sex is complete with out a warning, please keep in mind what the young women say to their potential partners: No party unless you are wearing a party hat.)
For the rest of us, we will probably have to settle for long walks, yoga classes and hoping for the best.
