Sexual dysfunction 'not a part of aging'

The onset of sexual dysfunction in adults is not "inevitably" a part of the aging process, it has been stated.

In news that may be of interest to anti-aging physicians, such problems are related to factors such as mental and physical health, demographics and lifetime experiences, according to a new study by scientists at the University of Chicago.

The research, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health, revealed that a history of sexually-transmitted disease (STD) would have an impact on a person's sexual health in their later years, with men more than five times as likely to report their experience as being non-pleasurable in these cases.

Lead author Edward Laumann explained that having an STD roughly quadruples a woman's odds of reporting sexual pain and triples her lubrication problems, Eurekalert reports.

"The results point to a need for physicians who are treating older adults experiencing sexual problems to take into account their physical health and also consider their mental health and their satisfaction with their intimate relationship," he added.

In related news, a study published this week in the open access journal BMC Genetics identified the gene responsible for obesity.