Sex and death: are they related? Findings from the Caerphilly Cohort Study.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the relation between frequency of orgasm and mortality.


METHODS
Cohort study with a 10 year follow up.


METHODS
The town of Caerphilly, South Wales, and five adjacent villages.


METHODS
918 men aged 45-59 at time of recruitment between 1979 and 1983.


METHODS
All deaths and deaths from coronary heart disease.


RESULTS
Mortality risk was 50% lower in the group with high orgasmic frequency than in the group with low orgasmic frequency, with evidence of a dose-response relation across the groups. Age adjusted odds ratio for all cause mortality was 2.0 for the group with low frequency of orgasm (95% confidence interval 1.1 to 3.5, test for trend P = 0.02). With adjustment for risk factors this became 1.9 (1.0 to 3.4, test for trend P = 0.04). Death from coronary heart disease and from other causes showed similar associations with frequency of orgasm, although the gradient was most marked for deaths from coronary heart disease. Analysed in terms of actual frequency of orgasm, the odds ratio for total mortality associated with an increase in 100 orgasms per year was 0.64 (0.44 to 0.95).


CONCLUSIONS
Sexual activity seems to have a protective effect on men's health.
Davey Smith
G
G
Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol.
Frankel
S
S
Yarnell
J
J
D000367:Age Factors; D002423:Cause of Death; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000401:mortality*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009948:Orgasm; D012307:Risk Factors; D014852:Wales / Q000453:epidemiology