gical limit to a pleasurable sex life during older age (Nikolowski). Mature individuals are anything but homogeneous, and they do not all become celibate or passively asexual with time. The relative sexual inactivity of some older people cannot be properly explained solely by the ageing process, illness, divorce or widowhood.
             There is a significant variation in the quality, quantity and enjoyment of sexual activity in later life. Females have considerable differences in the recognition of the various feelings of orgasmic response. Further, multi-orgasmic women observe more of these feelings, frequently and intensely. Self-perceived differences between female orgasms achieved by different means can be detected by about three-quarters of women in their middle years (Davidson and Darling 75). There is also much continuity throughout adult life. For instance, older individuals' levels of sexual activity are related to their level of sexual activity and sexual enjoyment before, and during, their middle years (Weeks and James).
             Studies show that older individuals engage in sexual activities less than younger ones (AARP). According to the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals (ARHP), although about 62 percent of men in their fifties reported being sexually
             active, 69.5 percent stated they were either "very" or "somewhat" satisfied with their sex lives. Similarly, 24.5 percent of men this age said they were not sexually active, but only 13.6 percent expressed dissatisfaction with their sex life. A similar pattern is seen for women in their fifties (Lacy 24).
             Another AHRP survey asked men and women to compare their current sex life to that when they were younger; approximately 56 percent of men in their fifties and 51.5 percent of women in the same age group described themselves as currently "more satisfied" or "equally satisfied" with their sex life, compared to when they were
             Older individuals do, however, face...