Around three quarters of middle aged and older women are sexually active and two thirds of them are relatively satisfied with their sex lives, according to a new study.

The study found that black women are more satisfied with their sex lives than white women.

Researchers at the University of Arizona in Tuscon, USA found in their survey of just over 2,000 women aged 40 to 69 that better mental health was associated with more sexual satisfaction.

It was also found that heavier women are less likely to be sexually satisfied.

Seventy one per cent of the women studied reported having had sex in the past year, while 37% had sex monthly and 33% had it weekly or more often.

One third of sexually active women reported having some type of sexual dysfunction, including lack of interest in sex.

Moderate alcohol consumption, lower body mass index and better health were linked to more frequent sexual activity.

The research was published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynaecology.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 10th, 2006 at 10:09 pm and is filed under Health Care. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.