Sexualidad en el adulto mayor, conductas y retos - revisión de la literatura

Introduction Although the presence of sexual activity in the elderly has been described, it tends to be underestimated. By not having people with whom they can talk about their difficulties or providing them with information, older adults may have problems to have an active sex life, as well as a greater probability of having risky behaviors. Aim To identify the most frequent sexual activities and problems in this field in the elderly. Methods A review was performed in the databases: Medline, Embase, Lilacs and Scielo. We included studies that provided information about sexuality in the older adult regarding: More frequent sexual behaviors, conditions associated with better or worse sexual satisfaction, and communication with the elderly. Results 2,342 articles were reviewed by title and abstract. In total, 27 references were selected for full-text review. The importance of sexuality in the elderly was identified in the quality of life and how it is affected by the presence of conditions such as: cancer, diabetes and depression; In addition to lack of desire, erectile dysfunction in men and menopause in women. Among the most frequent sexual behaviors are described: kissing, genital intercourse, oral sex and masturbation. Conclusions It is important to know the conditions that affect the sexuality of the older adult and to understand the way in which they want to live their sexuality, to facilitate the communication in the consultation and to help them to have a satisfactory sexual life.