A Harvard study says chronic illnesses and the medications used to treat them are the source of many sexual problems in older men.
According to the Harvard health Professionals Follow-up Study, sexual dysfunction was most prevalent in men with diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, strokes and depression. The Study showed that men with prostate cancer are 10 to 15 times more likely to experience sexual dysfunction than men without the disease. But the study also showed that sexual problems likely occur from the treatment, rather than the disease.
Even healthy men showed progressive problems with sexual function as a result of age. While libido, or sex drive, decreased with age, sexual desire was preserved better than erectile function, the study said.
The magazine Harvard Men’s Health Watch, which examined the report, said that while testosterone levels fall as men age, most elderly men have plenty of testosterone for sexual function, remaining in a normal range for about 75 percent of older men.
“All in all, men who remain well are less likely to develop sexual dysfunction with age than men who fall ill,” said Dr. Harvey B. Simon, the magazine’s editor.
“Men who take good care of themselves enjoy substantial protection from both illness and sexual decline.”
