Scientists have found out at what age men's sexual desire peaks

Sexual desire in men reaches its peak not in youth, as is commonly believed, but at the age of about 30-40 years. Researchers from the University of Tartu (Estonia) came to this unexpected conclusion after analysing data from more than 67,000 adults. The results are published in the journal Scientific Reports.

The scientists used data from the Estonian Biobank, one of Europe's largest repositories of biological and socio-demographic data. The study included data on 67,334 people aged 18 to 89 years, which is about 7% of the adult population of the country.

Participants were asked to rate their overall level of sexual desire and these responses were then compared with a number of factors: age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, presence of children, education level and occupation.

The analysis showed that demographic factors alone explained about 28 per cent of the variation in sexual desire between people - even without taking into account psychological or interpersonal aspects. One of the most surprising findings was that in men, desire levels peaked in their late 30s and early 40s, not in their teens or early young adulthood.

In general, sexual desire declines with age for everyone, but the decline is markedly more pronounced in women than in men. Having children also plays a significant role, and in different ways for different sexes. For women, an increase in the number of children was associated with a decrease in sexual desire, while men with larger families, in contrast, reported higher levels of desire.

Another curious finding relates to sexual orientation. According to the study, the highest levels of sexual desire were reported by people who identified as bisexual or pansexual.

The authors note that the findings may help reduce anxiety in people who perceive changes in sexual desire as a sign of a problem. The researchers emphasise: in many cases, such changes are a natural response to age, family circumstances and life stages.

In addition, the data may be useful for marriage and relationship therapists to help explain to clients that fluctuations in desire are normal and common.