Sexual Desire, Satisfaction, And Activities In Masters Athletes

Sexual function is an important factor for quality of life and has been shown to increase with exercise training but decrease with aging. Masters athletes demonstrate substantial physical function, reduced disease risks, and enhanced mental outlook in spite of their chronological age. Currently it is unknown whether masters athletes who engage in life-long strenuous exercise on the regular basis could maintain sexuality. PURPOSE: To determine sexual history, desire, and satisfaction in male and female masters athletes. METHODS: A total of 104 masters track and field athletes (43 women, aged 59 ± 11 years) were recruited from the 2023 World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland. Each participant completed a 52-item survey which evaluated sexual function and history. Age-graded sports performance was calculated based on each participant’s competition results. RESULTS: Sexual desire and satisfaction were high among masters athletes, did not change with increasing age, and were greater in men than in women. Engagements in sexual activities including kissing, sexual touching, and intercourse were high overall and did not change with increasing age. Men engaged in more sexual activities compared with women (P < 0.05). However, no differences in sexual pleasure were found between men and women, with high pleasure reported overall. The incidence of impotence was relatively low but higher in males aged 75+ (P < 0.05). Overall, age-graded performance was positively associated with orgasm frequency (P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Sexual desire, satisfaction, and activity are high among masters athletes and do not appear to decline significantly with advancing age.