Every Friday on the blog, I answer a few burning sex questions submitted to me by actual college students. This week, we’re talking about whether the G-spot is real, the average age at which men and women lose their virginity, and whether it’s possible for older adults to maintain a satisfying sex life.

Is there such a thing as the G-spot?

It depends who you ask. The G-spot is discussed so frequently in the popular media that most people assume it’s real; however, scientists aren’t so sure. In fact, a new review of the research in this area was unable to provide conclusive evidence that the G-spot is a distinct anatomical site [1]. This is not to say that there is no such thing as the G-spot or that women who claim to have been enjoying it for years are crazy; rather, there may be something else going on. One possibility some scientists have been floating is that what people usually think of as the G-spot may instead be the internal portion of the clitoris. Internally, the clitoris is quite large and it falls in the same general area typically associated with the G-spot. G-spot orgasms may thus be a type of clitoral orgasm; however, we need more research to clarify whether this really is the case.

What is the average age people lose their virginity?

In the United States, the average age of first intercourse is 17. However, men seem to lose their virginity a little earlier than women (if you break things down by gender, the ages are 16.9 for men and 17.4 for women) [2]. Keep in mind that these numbers vary a lot cross-culturally. For instance, in China, the median age of first sex is 22 for women and 24 for men [3].

Can you still have sex and enjoy it when you’re old?

Absolutely! I know that many people like to think that their parents and grandparents stopped having sex a long time ago, but that’s definitely not the case. Research indicates that men and women over age 50 still engage in a variety of sexual activities, although frequency of sex typically decreases and the likelihood of sexual problems increases (e.g., erectile dysfunction in men, lubrication difficulties in women) [4]. However, this does not mean that older adults are inherently less sexually satisfied. In fact, a recent survey of women found that sexual satisfaction actually increased with age [5]! Thus, although older adults do encounter more sexual problems, many of them still lead very active and satisfying sex lives.

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[1] Kilchevsky, A., Vardi, Y., Lowenstein, L., & Gruenwald, I. (2012). Is the female g-spot truly a distinct anatomic entity? The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 9, 719-726. doi: 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2011.02623.x

[2] Alan Guttmacher Institute. (2002).Sexual and reproductive health: Women and men. Retrieved from: http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_10-02.html

[3] Parish, W. L., Laumann, E. O., & Mojola, S. A. (2007). Sexual behavior in China: Trends and comparisons. Population and Development Review, 33, 729-756. doi: 10.1111/j.1728-4457.2007.00195.x

[4] Herbenick, D., Reece, M., Schick, V., Sanders, S. A., Dodge, B., & Fortenberry, J. D. (2010). Sexual behavior in the United States: Results from a national probability sample of men and women ages 14-94. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 7(Suppl. 5), 255-265. doi: 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2010.02012.x

[5] Trompeter, S. E., Bettencourt, R., & Barrett-Connor, E. (2012). Sexual activity and satisfaction in healthy community-dwelling older women. The American Journal of Medicine, 125, 37-43. doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2011.07.036

Image Source: iStockphoto

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