When most people think about sex after 40, the narrative turns a bit grim. Hormonal shifts, stress, the mental load of midlife—these are real hurdles. Between advancing careers, raising kids, managing households, and maybe even tending to aging parents, one's bandwidth for passion can feel, well, limited. On top of that, if your body doesn’t look exactly like the filtered, contoured, and airbrushed ones splashed across Instagram, it can be easy to feel less-than-sexy in your own skin.

And yes, research does show that desire tends to decline over the course of a long-term relationship, especially for women. Add it all up, and it’s easy to see why the myth persists that great sex is a young person’s game.

But here’s what often gets left out of the conversation: Sex after 40, especially with intention and effort, can be the best sex of your life.

Not in spite of your age, but because of it.

One of the most powerful things that happens with age is that you become more comfortable in your skin. The self-consciousness that may have clouded your earlier experiences often gives way to........

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