It’s true that getting older can bring physical changes that affect sexual desire. Hormonal changes, vaginal dryness, erectile difficulties, medications, health problems, and other changes in our bodies can all influence how interested we feel in sex.

Despite the message of all the products and ads, your vagina is not dirty, and it doesn’t need a spring cleaning. That’s just hype to make you think you need to scrub and disinfect it. It’s absurd how an entire industry has been built around feminine hygiene and convincing women that they need a bathroom cabinet full of products. In fact, your vagina is an amazing self-cleaning and self-sufficient organ. Leave it alone.

Remember when you were young and couldn't wait for summer vacation? Carefree days of sunshine, swimsuits, backyard barbecues, and road trips in the family station wagon. Back then, the most exciting thing in your suitcase was a new pair of flip-flops. Times change.

A few years ago, I noticed almost all the attention and research on sex and aging focused on problems and dysfunction. You know the litany: low estrogen and testosterone, lower libido, vaginal dryness, the unpredictable penis. It made me wonder. Was that the reality or were people over 60 having good or even great sex?

Your new hip is doing great. You’re walking farther, climbing stairs, and feeling more like yourself every day. The pain is easing up, physical therapy is becoming less miserable, and you’re finally starting to believe life exists beyond ice packs and compression socks. Then a thought sneaks into your head: “Okay, but when can I have sex again?”

With apologies to Peter, Paul and Mary, that old folk tune has been rattling around in my head lately, except I've swapped out the flowers. Because somewhere between the hot flashes, the achy knees, and the third refill on the blood pressure prescription, a lot of us look up one day and wonder where the spark went.

When you picture a steamy love scene, who comes to mind? Be honest. It's probably not anyone with reading glasses on the nightstand, a heating pad within reach, and a half-finished glass of Sauvignon Blanc on the dresser. Hollywood still behaves as if romance has an expiration date, which is ridiculous, because older love stories have what young ones don't: range, lovers with baggage, hard-won self-knowledge, and the freedom of having stopped caring what anyone thinks.

This morning I had a full-blown, 15-minute “Am I losing it?” panic. I was reviewing my to-do list for the day: order birthday cupcakes, $ Store, call dermatologist. I stared at it like it had been written by a stranger. What is a $ Store? Had I completely lost the ability to label a basic errand? Had I forgotten the word “ATM” and scrawled “$ Store” as some kind of substitute?

Remember when you were a teenager and the phrase “Save water, shower with a friend” sounded less like water conservation advice and more like a personal fantasy? Just the idea of two wet, slippery bodies in a small space was enough to get your imagination and your libido fully engaged.

If your face has a routine and your vulva and vagina do not, we need to fix that. They deserve the same level of care, especially as you age when tissues naturally become drier, thinner, and less elastic. Without stepping up your moisturizing routine (and it doesn't have to break the bank) you get more irritation, more discomfort, and less of that “everything feels fine” baseline we tend to take for granted. Ladies, it's time to expand your skincare routine a little further s

Friday the 13th is the official day of bad luck. Even people who swear they’re not superstitious suddenly get cautious. Flights get postponed. Big purchases wait until Saturday. And some folks won’t even leave the house as if the universe is just waiting outside the front door with a banana peel and a grudge.

Sex and aging isn’t the end of pleasure, but rather a shift in how pleasure unfolds. It may require better planning, a little patience, and occasionally reading glasses. But the party? Still happening.

Valentine’s Day has long been marketed as a three-step seduction plan: chocolate to tempt, champagne to loosen inhibitions, and sex to seal the deal. Simple. Predictable. And, if we’re honest, designed for younger bodies that don’t need a warm-up, a conversation, or a hydration plan.

It’s that time when the New Year is strolling in with sparkling anticipation, and the old year is still lingering like the last guy at the Lynyrd Skynyrd concert: shirt half open, holding a warm Michelob, refusing to admit it’s over. It’s also that time when we make promises to lose a few pounds, eat “better,” exercise more, declutter the garage, you know the drill. This year, how about resolutions that actually make us smile and are fun to keep? How about making some Sex

The holiday season is here, and while it can be a magical time, it’s also a whirlwind of stress and end-of-year chaos.

Talking with your doctor about sex takes some planning and preparation. Below is a guide of things to do before and during the appointment to make the conversation easier and more helpful. Accept This One Crucial Truth: YOU Have to Bring It Up I cannot emphasize this enough: most doctors will not initiate a conversation about sex, especially with older patients.

Does finding your orgasm feel like waiting for Stairway to Heaven to finally end? Welcome to sex and aging where your body plays by new rules, but the game is far from over. Orgasms are not as easy, often, or intense as they once were. Nothing is wrong with you. It’s simply time to relearn and reorient your sexual self.

When it comes to sex and aging, one thing is certain: there’s no such thing as a “one-size-fits-all” experience. Our bodies change, our hormones shift, and our joints ache, so it’s no surprise that our sex lives need a few adjustments too.

Did you grow up thinking masturbation would make you go blind or give you hairy palms? Maybe someone warned you that “nice girls” don’t do it or that too much would shrink your penis or cause your teeth to fall out.

Vaginal dryness is more common than you might think, especially as we age, affecting nearly one in two women.