The sex lives of men can seem like an Aesop's fable. As years go by and sexual desire fades, men may stop having sex with an enthusiasm akin to rabbits and become more like red foxes, lonely animals who make do with one brief breeding season each year. The moral: Even if you're a happy rabbit now, don't take your sex life for granted. You could still turn into a red fox.
This tale is a warning, not a law of nature. Men can take steps to protect their sexual desires and abilities throughout their lives, says Jim Pfaus, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Concordia University in Montreal who studies the biology of libido. With some regular sex drive maintenance, "Our generation might keep having sex until we drop," he says. "I hope so."
There's no biological reason why a man can't carry a strong libido to his retirement party or even to his nursing home, according to David Rowland, sex expert and professor of psychology at Valparaiso University. "It's a myth that sex drive always diminishes as men get older," he says. "A lot of men in their 60s and 70s line up at the pharmacist's office for Viagra."