The updated and expanded version of Sex Over 50 is written by Joel Block, PhD and published by the Penguin Group. The book is 322 pages, divided into 16 chapters along with a conclusion, references, and an index. The wine colored book is 9x6 and weighs just under 1 pound.

While some of the information is “common knowledge” there are other areas that hold new and useful information. While many of us over the age of 50 have experienced some of the issues addressed in the book, it is hard to know if this is a common issue or is it something that only you are faced with. Sure, we have all seen the TV commercials for erectile dysfunction and have probably snickered about them. It’s not funny when it hits home and affects you or your partner. And, as easy as the commercials say talk to your doctor, in reality, many of these subjects are still taboo for members of our generation to discuss with their doctor.

Other areas that most people don’t want to think about or address because it makes us look at our own morality are topics such as going back on the dating scene, loving another partner, and how to keep romance alive. Each of these topics are given a chapter for themselves and provide useful tips and warnings.

Chapter titles include:

Create A Sexy Frame of Mind
The Building Blocks of Passion
Take Charge of Your Sexuality
Games For Mature Adults
Improving Intercourse
Don’t Have Sex, Make Love
The Power of Midlife Sexual Fantasies
Getting In Sync With Your Partner Again
Stretching Your Sexual Boundaries
The Unlimited Potential Of Midlife Orgasm
Sex and Hormones
Overcoming Erectile Dysfunction
Sex and Health
Making the Dating Scene
Love With Another Partner
Keeping The Romance Alive

While the book is geared towards heterosexual couples, couples of any gender or individuals can adapt the information to be useful for their own settings. The first chapter starts with dispelling some of the common myths that are associated with sex over the age of 50. Ok, some of the myths are pretty silly but others are ones we have heard all our lives and have either believed them or thought they wouldn’t dare happen to us.

There are 16 Sizzlers included which are short scenarios about couples facing real life situations. These scenes were so real and I could relate to most of them. After each sizzler, the author processes to dissect and discuss the ideas that come up in them.

Several chapters address new sexual ideas and desires. A lot of people in this age generation have never talked about their wishes/wants/fantasies but the book encourages and shows us how to have that discussion with our mate. They even provide guidelines to go by and do’s and don’ts. It goes on to tell how each lovemaking session doesn’t have to end in orgasm for either sex and how this can be an added bonus for the older adult.

Being a health care professional, I really liked the information contained in several chapters including hormones, erectile dysfunction, and physical illnesses that can affect the older adult. There are numerous other components besides age that can alarm the older adult and some of these components are addressed. It includes things that you hear others talking about but you never know if it is “normal” or not. Lots of good information available in this book

I received the book just as we were heading out for a 6-7 hour drive. I opened it and began to read it, sharing samples of it with my husband. As I read, he made comments like “this is good stuff to know. You know, I’ve felt like that before but didn’t know if it was just me or not.” As I read to him, we would get into some good conversations and talk about the things the book encourages couples to talk about. Between the trip out there and back, the book was finished and we had lots of new ideas about how to spice things up. Since we got back home, we have started implementing some of the ideas and have discovered there are lots of avenues we can experiment with. This is one book that I feel sure we will refer back to for a long time.

We have used suggestions in this book over and over. It is laying out and if one of us reads something really interesting, we mark it and the other one will read it. It is used at least weekly to add something to spice things up or just to read for the information. We still love it!