"Honey, look forward to tonight"... Male sex drive peaks in their 40s. What about women? [Health Talk]

[Financial News] It is generally known that sexual desire decreases with age, but a new study has found that for men, libido is actually highest in their 40s.

According to the Daily Mail on the 16th, a research team at the University of Tartu in Estonia analyzed data from more than 67,000 adults aged 20 to 84. They found that men’s sexual desire steadily increases from their 20s, peaks in the early 40s, and then gradually declines. In particular, it turned out that men in their 60s can have a sex drive as strong as they did in their 20s.
By contrast, women’s sexual desire is strongest from their 20s to early 30s, then decreases with age and drops sharply after 50.
The research team said, "This finding about male sexual desire was unexpected," adding, "It runs counter to the idea that libido is mainly driven by biological mechanisms and fertility."
It is known that levels of testosterone, the primary male sex hormone, start to decline from the early 30s. However, this study showed that men’s sexual desire continues to increase for about 10 years even after their 30s.
The researchers explained, "Men in their 40s are more likely to be in stable, long-term relationships, which is associated with increased sexual activity and emotional intimacy."
They also found that men in relationships have higher sexual desire than single men, whereas among women, those who are single report higher sexual desire than women who are in relationships.
Parenthood and family size were also linked to sexual desire. Men tended to have higher libido when they had children and larger families. For women, however, becoming a parent was associated with decreased sexual desire, likely due to increased stress and hormonal changes, and this effect was somewhat stronger as the number of children increased.
The research team stated, "Sexual desire is an important component of human relationships and well-being, shaped by demographic, relational, psychological, and cultural factors," and added, "Understanding these influences is essential for developing theoretical models and improving clinical interventions."
The findings were published in the international journal Scientific Reports.

moon@fnnews.com Moon Young-jin Reporter