The sexual habits of British men and women over 40 years old

To obtain a greater understanding of sexual behaviour and habits among men with and without erectile dysfunction (ED), and their female partners, to improve the management of ED in heterosexual men.

A population-based study was conducted amongst men and women aged > 40 years. None of the subjects were partners in the same sexual relationship. Interviews were conducted on the Internet via a panel-based questionnaire.

In all, 225 (32%) men had self-reported ED and 88 (26%) women reported that their partner had ED. For all men (with or without ED) the mean time from first thinking of intercourse to beginning intercourse was just under 1 h. During their most recent period of sexual activity, 87% of men with and 78% of men without ED had intercourse with ejaculation at most once within 24 h; 81% of men and 89% of women felt that it was neither very nor extremely important to have intercourse with ejaculation more than once in a 24-h period.

This study reports for the first time the frequency of sexual activity in British men and women in heterosexual relationships, and describes the usual timings of sexual events. Few significant differences were identified between men with or with no ED.