Janet, a 58-year-old newlywed from North Carolina, hadn't had sex in 15 years and was well past her hot flashes when she finally consummated her second marriage in May.
北卡州的珍娜現年58歲，已經15年沒有性生活，也過了更年期。於5月間梅開二度。

Her late-in-life romance blossomed after the end of a 22-year marriage to an emotionally abusive husband.
她遲來的戀情，在結束與情緒性粗暴前夫的22年婚姻後綻放。

"There was not a lot of love there and definitely not a lot of sex," she told ABCNews.com. "I didn't want to get involved with another man because I didn't want to get hurt."
她告訴ABC新聞網站：「那段婚姻沒有多少愛，自然沒有多少性生活。我不想受到傷害，就無意涉及其他男人。」

But a dear friend from her days in the U.S. Army entered her life unexpectedly -- he too was divorced and eager to rekindle their relationship.
以前在美國陸軍裡的一位好朋友，意外的進入她的生活。他已離婚並盼重燃舊情。

"I felt very safe with him, but he was in St. Louis and I was in North Carolina," explained Janet. "We got to know each other over the phone. He had me laughing, rolling on the floor like it used to be."
珍娜解釋道：「他讓我感到安全，但是他住在聖路易而我在北卡，我們要靠電話了解彼此。他常使我捧腹大笑，就像以前一樣。」

The couple met up in Indianapolis, staying with a relative in separate bedrooms. Jim brought roses to her door each morning and kissed her. "But I was extremely nervous."
他們在印地安那波里斯相會，在親戚家分房而居。吉姆每天清晨送上玫瑰與親吻。「但是我非常緊張。」

As devout Christians, the couple took an oath of celibacy. And even though their three-year courtship was "passionate," Janet was well past menopause and worried about what kind of a lover she would be on their wedding day.
因為他們都是虔誠基督徒遵從婚前「獨身」的規範。即或在三年熱切交往期間，已過更年期的珍娜，始終擔心她在新婚之日的表現。

Sexually Active Seniors on the Rise
老年人的性趣提昇

With men and women living longer, the number of people who are sexually active past 50 has steadily risen since the 1970s, according to both Swedish and American studies.
依據瑞典和美國的研究，自1970起，由於人們壽命增長，50歲後仍有性活動的人穩定成長。

But for women like Janet, who are suddenly single again, either because of divorce or the death of a spouse, getting back in the bedroom can be anxiety-producing and awkward.
但是，不論離婚或喪偶，像珍娜這樣的婦人突然又恢復單身，對於重回臥室，會感到焦慮與困惑。

A 2007 study in the New England Journal of Medicine, reported that 73 percent of those in the 57 to 64 age group and 53 percent of those 65 to 74 reported having had sex with a partner in a the previous year. Among 75- to 85-year-olds, about 36 percent were still sexually active.
2007年《新英格蘭醫學期刊》的一項研究指出，57 至 64年齡層中的73%，65 至 74年齡層中的53%仍有性伴侶。75 至 85年齡層中的36%仍有性生活。

And, according to statistics from AARP, an estimated 15.4 percent of men and women over 50 are divorced, 6.25 percent have never been married and 4.4 percent are widowed.
根據美國AARP的統計，50歲以上的男女約有15.4%離婚，6.25%終身未婚，4.4%喪偶。

"If they haven't been dating for a long time, women are up against feelings of self-confidence," said Lonnie Barbach, a clinical psychologist from the University of San Francisco.
舊金山大學臨床心理學家Lonnie Barbach說：「如果很長一段時間不曾約會，中老年女性會失去自信心。」

"They're bodies have changed and they may not feel as comfortable or attractive," she told ABCNews.com. "Women are not getting the same attention from store clerks."
她告訴ABC新聞網站：「她們的身體已經改變，也許感到不自在或魅力漸失。甚至不能引起店員的注意。」

Biologically, women's bodies are more challenged than men's, and the pharmaceutical industry has yet to produce a "pink" Viagra. Besides lower libido, women's vaginal muscles are less flexible and without use, can actually shrink.
在生理上，女性身體所面臨的挑戰更甚於男性，而製藥業正在生產女用威爾剛。除了性慾降低外，她們的陰道肌肉常因欠缺運動，而失去彈性甚至緊縮。

"If you don't use it, you lose it," said Barbach, author of "Positive Approaches to Premenopausal and Menopause."
《Positive Approaches to Premenopausal and Menopause》的作者Barbach說：「妳不用它，就會失去它。」

Janet's gynecologist applauded her efforts to wait, but warned her that not having had sex for over a decade could be painful.
珍娜的婦科醫師讚許她為等待所做的努力。同時提醒她，在中止性生活的十年後，再次擁有可能會很痛。

"It's almost like you are going to be a virgin again," the doctor told Janet. "But I'll help
you get ready for your wedding night."
醫師告訴珍娜說：「那就像再次成為處女，但是我會幫助妳準備好以渡過新婚之夜。」

Janet was prescribed estrogen cream to ease vaginal dryness and given a series of books on what to expect.
開給珍娜雌激素軟膏緩解陰道乾澀，並指定她閱讀系列書籍，做好心理建設。

But many middle-aged women are unprepared for that first sexual encounter.
但是大多數中年婦女並未為初次性接觸做好準備。

Pam, a 57-year-old divorcee and business consultant from Maine, reconnected last year with a friend she had a crush on at riding camp 40 years earlier.
來自緬因州，57歲失婚的潘現職商業顧問，去年重逢40年前在馬術營的一位朋友。

Alcohol Eased the First-Time Nerves
酒精舒緩初次緊張

The first time wasn't so bad: "Alcohol played a major part," she told ABCNews.com. "He wasn't expecting anything and neither was I. We talked and that helped set the stage."
潘告訴ABC新聞網站：「第一次並不壞，酒精幫了大忙。我們沒有期望什麼，交談間有助於建立氛圍。」

"But the next day I was exceedingly sore," she said. "I had shrunk up. It's amazing. I wasn't prepared for it."
她說：「但是，第二天我非常痛。沒料到，我縮起來了。太神奇了。」

The hardest part isn't medical but psychological, say therapists.
治療師說，最困難的部分不在藥物，而是心理。

"The preparation is kind of scary for a lot of women," said Sandra Ceren, a Del Mar, Calif., psychologist. "Will he see me the way I am now or as I was? Will he see my age spots and sagging breasts. Will he find me as perky?"
加州迪瑪的心理學家Sandra Ceren說：「只在心理準備階段就會嚇到許多女人。她們會問：『他將看到現在的我，還是以前的我？他會看到我的老人斑和下垂的乳房？他會覺得我裝腔作勢嗎？』」

One 54-year-old, an author of 13 books on the topic and whose pen name is the Dating Goddess, knows firsthand the pitfalls of getting back in the saddle.
現年54歲筆名為Dating Goddess，著有13本關於這個主題的書。她有第一手關於重返坐騎的不為人知秘密。

Her husband of 20 years left her at age 48. "I was in fetal position for many months crying," she told ABCNews.com. "I was overweight and who would be attracted to me?"
48歲時，結縭20年的丈夫離開了她。她告訴ABC新聞網站：「我像嬰兒般哭泣數月，我過重，我能吸引誰呢？」

But since then, she's dated 98 men in four and half years. In her book, "From Fear to Frolic," she recounts getting naked for the first time after her divorce – with 30 to 40 extra pounds.
從此之後，4年半內她和98個男人約會。在她的書《From Fear to Frolic》中回憶，離婚後的第一次帶著多出的30至40磅肉全裸。

Older Sex With Bags and Sags
長者的性愛 帶著眼袋與肚腩

Her first encounter was with a nearby neighbor who was also overweight. "I felt less self-conscious about the bags and sags."
她的第一個對象是附近鄰居，同樣超重。「我降低了對眼袋和下垂胸、腹的自覺。」

"The first time is like the first waffle -- you throw it out," she said. "People expect bells and whistles and usually the first time is not like that."
她說：「初次就像第一塊煎餅，要丟掉它。人們企盼仙樂飄飄，但通常第一次並非如此。」

Susan, a therapist from northern California, had been married at 19 for 16 years. A long relationship with someone she met at work ended recently.
北加州的治療師蘇珊，19歲結婚維持16年。最近結束和一位工作上相識者的長期關係。

"Never in my life have I dated," said the 65-year-old. "I was a single parent raising kids. Every man I ever went out with I met organically."
65歲的她說：「我是個扶養小孩的單親媽媽。我的生活中從無約會。」

"I am very, very anxious about being with a stranger – someone I know nothing about," she told ABCNews.com.
她告訴ABC新聞網站：「和一位相知不深的陌生人相處，讓我非常焦慮。」

She has reason to worry.
她有理由擔心。

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 15 percent of all new HIV cases were among men and women over 50 and seniors are one of the fastest growing groups to contract other sexually transmitted diseases.
據美國疾病管制中心資料，有15%新的HIV個案發生在年逾半百的男女間。而年長者正是快速增加得到性感染症的一群。

Befuddled By Condoms and STDs
保險套和性感染症的困擾

"The rules have changed," said Susan Kellogg, director of sex medicine at the Pelvic and Sexual Health Institute of Philadelphia. "They don't grasp condom use or sage sexual behavior."
Pelvic and Sexual Health Institute of Philadelphia的主任Susan Kellogg說：「時代變了，他們不知道使用保險套和安全性行為。」

Women who had been married to high school and college sweethearts may find they have herpes for the first time in their lives, asking Kellogg, "How did this happen? I don't understand."
一些和高中或大學初戀情人結婚的婦女，有些人會發現她們得了疱疹，去請教Kellogg，「我不明白，這是怎麼發生的？」

"Now they are back dating with men who have had more partners in their lifetime and more exposure," she said. "I see women fumbling with this."
她說：「現在她們再度開始約會，而那些男人有較多的性伴侶與閱歷。而婦女們還在摸索這檔事。」

But women are also finding fulfillment in these later-in-life relationships.
但是婦女們也在晚春關係中得到滿足。

Alison, a retired interior decorator, had been married for 25 years when the mailman found her husband dead of a heart attack on their western Massachusetts porch.
退休的內科醫生愛莉森，當郵差發現她的丈夫心臟病發倒在西麻州住宅門廊，25年婚姻告終。

Their sex life had been "dismal," but when she began dating again, "It was a whole new world -- wow," said the 58-year-old.
他們的性生活暗淡無光。當她再度約會時，58歲的她說：「哦！那是全然的新世界。」

"My husband was my first real sexual encounter and I thought, that's how it's supposed be," she told ABCNews.com. "I discovered that wasn't true, and there was nothing wrong with me."
她告訴ABC新聞網站：「我的丈夫是我的第一個性伴侶，我認為那檔子事就是那麼回事。我發現那不是事實，而且不是我的錯。」

Today, Alison is happily married to a man she met online. There have been health challenges, but, said Alison, "Oh my God, what had I been missing all these years."
現今，愛莉森和一位網路上認識的男士過著快樂的婚姻生活。他們有些健康方面的挑戰，但是她說：「天啊！我怎麼會錯過了這麼多年。」

For newlyweds Janet and Jim, whose passion was held in check until their honeymoon, they were not only psychologically ready, but "spiritually prepared."
新婚的珍娜和吉姆克制他們的熱情直到蜜月，他們不但完成心理準備而且心靈契合。

When the sexual moment arrived, was it good? "Yes, yes, yes," said Janet emphatically.
當性愛來到的那一刻，美妙嗎？珍娜強烈反應：「是、是、是。」

"It was so different from the last time I was married," she said. "I didn't know if I would be a good lover, but our love was already established. I think God wants me to be happy. He brought us together again."
珍娜說道：「那與我以前婚姻的最後一次大不相同。我不知道會不會是個好情人，但愛苗已經滋長。我想上帝要讓我快樂，祂讓我們重逢。」

"We trust each other, we laugh at each other, we cry together," said Janet. "It's so refreshing and different and that's what makes the sex so great."
珍娜說：「我們相互信任，共享悲喜。是那麼的清新與不同，它使性愛更棒。」

Back in the Saddle - ABC News 

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Health/ReproductiveHealth/story?id=8139016&page=1