Sex and the older woman

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Sex and the older woman

By Wire reports – June 29, 2010

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For women concerned about their biological clocks comes some interesting new research.

According to a study published this week in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, women’s interest in sex peaks between age 27 and 45 – increasing as their fertility wanes.

A research team at the University of Texas at Austin recruited 827 women from the UT community and from Craigslist.com. The women were asked to complete a detailed survey that included questions about their sexual desires and behaviors.

The women were grouped into three age categories: 18-26 (high fertility); 27-45 (reduced fertility); and 45 plus (menopausal and post-menopausal).

The study revealed that these 27 to 45 “think more about sex, have more frequent and intense sexual fantasies, are more willing to engage in sexual intercourse, and report actually engaging in sexual intercourse more frequently than women of other age groups,” the researchers reported.

The researchers proposed a theory: As female fertility decreases, women subconsciously feel an urge to “facilitate conception before the window of opportunity closes.”

On a related topic:

A researcher in Iran said Tuesday that he has developed a blood test that can predict when a woman at age 20 will become menopausal.

Dr. Fahimeh Ramezani Tehrani of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences says the test measures a hormone produced in the ovaries.

Doctors in Iran took blood samples from 266 women then measured their levels of the hormone to calculate how many eggs are left in the ovaries.

Researchers said the test was able to predict when menopause would set in within a four-month window.

Women typically run out of eggs about 15 years before menopause hits. Researchers say the tests – if proven to be effective – could aid women who want to delay motherhood while they pursue careers… or wait for “Mr. Right.”