title: [Sexuality in older women].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of sexual relations in women >or=65 years. To determine factors that affect their activity and interest in sex. To evaluate the impact on their quality of life. DESIGN. Descriptive, cross-sectional study by means of survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Palacio de Segovia Health Centre, Madrid, Spain. Primary care.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women >or=65 years old. Criteria of exclusion: bed-ridden women, with psychiatric disease and/or moderate-severe cognitive deterioration. Sequential selection from 10 medical lists.
  
  
  METHODS
  Social and demographic, medical, geriatric (Katz and Lawton-Brody index), quality of life (WONCA sheets), variables on sexuality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred and sixty two women. Mean age, 74.7 (7.8). Sixty one women with a stable partner (37.7%). Thirty four maintained sexual relations (20.98%), 61.8% (21) of them with coitus: these were satisfactory for 29 women (85.3%). For 50 (30.8%), communication was the most important aspect of sexuality. The lower their age, the more sexual relations they had (P<.022; odds ratio [OR]=0.85; 0.74-0.97). Of 115 women satisfied with the relations of their youth, 28.7% maintained sexual relations now (P<.003; OR=17; 1.7-178.8). The 23.9% maintained their sexual desire, though their partners had more interest in sex (50.9%). Women with stable partners and high self-esteem had more sexual relations than those who had neither, with a significant difference in both cases (P<.001). Maintaining sexual relations is a dependent factor on the Katz index (P<.007). The 32.2% of women thought that their sex life had changed for the worse, while 30.12% (20.54+19.17) thought their sex life had not changed or had improved.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  One of every 4 women >64 years old maintain sexual relations. Factors that determine sexual activity are: self-esteem, having a partner, sexual desire, previous sexual history, and the Katz index. Sexual relations are independent of quality of life.
authors.affiliation: Medicina Familiar y Comunitaria, Centro de Salud Palacio de Segovia, Madrid, España. martafhdez@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fernández Hernández
authors.forename: María N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Gaviria Cano
authors.forename: Francisca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Muñoz González
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Miguel Calvo
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Coll Torres
authors.forename: Manuel E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Fuentes Ferrer
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000465:Algorithms; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011788:Quality of Life; D019529:Sexuality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires