Longer lives, with benefits

Far be it from us to pick nits with billionaire Warren Buffett in these bleak economic times, but perhaps he knows more about finance than he does about sex. "It's nice to have a lot of money, but you know, you don't want to keep it around forever," Buffett, worth $62 billion at age 78, told Bloomberg News recently. "Otherwise it's a little like saving sex for your old age."

His compatriots might disagree.

Nearly 40% of Buffett's peers -- American men between 75 and 85 years old -- are sexually active, new studies reveal. More than half of those have sex at least twice a month. A quarter do it every week. (Only 17% of women that age are sexually active, but they're equally busy.) That might be more positive transactions than Wall Street is seeing these days.

For decades, the medical profession politely averted its gaze from such issues as nursing-home libidos and octogenarian onanism. Many doctors -- not to mention patients themselves -- assumed that sex must simply fade away quietly over time and, really, who would miss it?

But now the study of aging and sexuality is gaining interest. (Perhaps those sexually pioneering youths from the '60s, now nearing retirement themselves, have something to do with that?) And the resulting research reveals surprising news: Age itself does not limit our desire and prowess in bed. Rather, the blame goes to aging-related issues -- health problems, medication side effects and a lack of steady partners.

If we manage to stay happy, healthy and socially connected as we get older -- a tall order but not impossible -- chances are good that we can continue to enjoy sex as long as we desire.

Depending on your preferences, that might be a long time indeed. "The oldest person that I ever referred for a penile prosthesis was 98," says Dr. John Morley, geriatrics professor at St. Louis University. "He used it until he was 101, very happily. Our desire to have sex does not have an expiration date."

Our bodies' shelf life keeps extending too. Thirty years ago, medical practice considered people in their 60s to be "old," Morley says. That's almost laughable in geriatrics sex clinics these days. "I never see anyone who's under 70," he says, "and most of the patients I see are 80 and 90."