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Causes of sexual decline in aging married men: Germany and America

International Journal of Impotence Research volume 14, pages 101–106 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

Married men in Germany (n=48) and America (n=50) between 50 and 80 years old, none in poor health, provided comparable information on sexual behavior and attitudes, and gave saliva samples from which testosterone was assayed. Sexuality declines with age, as expected. Neither testosterone nor psychological depression explain levels of sexuality. In both nations, wife's desire for intercourse, subject's ability to maintain an erection, and subject's imagination about other women, explain certain aspects of sexuality. Subject's health and marital satisfaction are related to sexuality among Americans but not among Germans. Behavioral models for the two nations are compared.

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Acknowledgements

We appreciate the contributions and advice of Allan Birnbaum, Sam Feld, Douglas Granger, John McKinlay, Rolf Porst, Sanford Temes, and Douglas Wolf. This work was supported by Grant No. P20-AG-12837 from the US National Institute of Aging, and Grant No. 01EUK9910/063-99 from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Maxwell School, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA

    A Mazur

  2. Institute of Medical Sociology and Social Medicine, Medical School, Philipps University, Marburg, Germany

    U Mueller

  3. Department of Dermatology, Medical School, Philipps University, Marburg, Germany

    W Krause

  4. Department of Sociology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA

    A Booth

Authors
  1. A Mazur
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  2. U Mueller
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  3. W Krause
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  4. A Booth
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Correspondence to A Mazur.

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Mazur, A., Mueller, U., Krause, W. et al. Causes of sexual decline in aging married men: Germany and America. Int J Impot Res 14, 101–106 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijir.3900833

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