Marital and sexual aspects of old age

This article presents a review of the literature on conjugal and sexual functioning in elderly people. A synthesis of aging effects on the physiology of sexuality is first presented. The impact of aging on the appearance of sexual dysfunctions is also discussed. Psychological factors, which also play a role in the impact of aging on sexual functioning, are presented. Special attention is paid to the impact of attitudes on sexuality in the course of aging. The question concerning conjugal functioning during retirement is also presented. Different points of view and research results on conjugal satisfaction during retirement are presented. Finally, some studies on intervention methods aimed at the improvement of conjugal and sexual functioning during retirement are presented. In general, we suggest that such interventions would have an impact on the life of elderly people given that, during retirement, conjugal functioning becomes the main focus of people's life.