Women Think More About Sex As Fertility Declines

Tick tock, tick tock...

It seems to be fairly common knowledge that women reach their sexual peak at a later age than men. But what researchers are now learning is that this may be influenced by an unconscious reaction to the winding down of their biological clock.

Psychologists at the University of Texas at Austin looked at nearly 1,000 women to study the effects of aging on the female sex drive, and the results point to the idea that many women begin to think more about sex as their fertility declines.

The study had 827 women complete a detailed online survey asking them all kinds of questions about their sexual activity and desires.

Split into three groups -- 18-26 (high fertility), 27-45 (reduced fertility), and over 45 (menopausal and post-menopausal) -- the women in the reduced fertility group were found to have sex on the brain at a much higher rate than those who are younger and older.

According to the report, they "think more about sex, have more frequent and intense sexual fantasies, are more willing to engage in sexual intercourse, and report actually engaging in sexual intercourse more frequently than women of other age groups."

The researchers believe this data points to the idea that women have "evolved a psychological mechanism" that pushes them to maximize and take advantage of any fertility they have left.

"Modern women’s sexual psychology is a consequence of such evolved mechanisms," they write. "One key design feature of this adaptation is an increased desire and willingness to engage in sexual activity during the period of declining fertility."

In other sex news, we have discovered the exact amount of time a sexual romp should last... 7 minutes.