Top 10 In the Mood Columns: The Sex and Relationship Topics You Loved

From sexless marriage to what women really want, here are readers’ favorite columns for 2025

Ellen Uzelac,

AARP

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Published December 24, 2025

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AARP

In the Mood is doing something fun this week: a list of its 10 most popular columns from 2025.

We received tons of questions on desire discrepancy, how to fire up your libido and how to be better at oral sex.

Other questions, such as “is it normal for private parts to change size as you age?,” weren’t as common, but they clearly resonated with our In the Mood community, based on how many of you took a look.

Before diving into our list, I have news to share: In the Mood recently took first place in the health category from the Anthem Awards, which celebrates purpose-driven social impact work. Thank you, readers, for making it happen. We heard from thousands of you this year.

Here are readers’ favorite topics, starting with the No. 1 spot.

1. I’m Not Attracted to My Wife Anymore, and She’s Always In the Mood

Desire discrepancy — one partner wants sex and intimacy, the other one doesn’t — is a recurring theme among our 50-plus readers. Our experts spell out how to bring the horny back. It’s a good read.

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2. He Orgasms Quickly and I’m Left to Satisfy Myself

This column offers some great tips on how to help an older man last a little longer. But what I really appreciated about it was the underlying context: to think of this not just as a problem but as an opportunity to make your sex life even better. And I didn’t hate the advice to focus on the woman’s orgasm first.

3. I Find My Husband’s Sexual Advances Annoying

I like checking out reader comments each week, and this column had a bunch. One comment was especially moving: “Very hard to view sexual approach as enjoyable when every other aspect of the relationship is a train wreck.” There’s a lot of good advice here, including strategies to rebuild your sexual relationship, starting with figuring out what exactly irks you. Hope it helped.

4. What’s Normal When It Comes to Self-Pleasure?

This question is from a woman in a long-term marriage who’s perplexed why her husband is more interested in solo sex than in having sex with her. So many angles here, and we unpack a lot of them about a common concern that one expert said is “rarely discussed and frequently misunderstood.”

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a graphic illustration shows an open laptop computer. the web page for an in the mood column on the changing size of private parts as you age is emerging from the screen

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5. Is It Normal for Private Parts to Change Size as You Age?

One of the things I enjoy most about In the Mood is how much I learn. Reporting this piece about how our genital geography ages was a revelation. Changes? You bet — and the column spells them out, body part by body part.

6. Where Did My Libido Go?

In the Mood gets a lot of queries from 50-plus women who just aren’t feeling it in the bedroom anymore. This one really covers all the bases. Plus, it’s accompanied by an AARP-produced video featuring a terrific ob-gyn who offers top-rate insights and guidance.

7. I Lack Sensitivity in My Penis, Making It Difficult to Orgasm

Many reader questions involved the penis, but this was the first to tackle what turns out to be a very common issue for older men.

As our experts explain, there are several potential reasons for a lack of sensation, ranging from how you have sex to lifestyle factors to aging and medical issues. The good news: There are also lots of fixes.

8. We Can’t Agree on the Time, Place or Style of Sex

This one hit home for me. My late husband loved early-morning sex. I preferred a relaxed nighttime vibe. It produced some conflict. Talking about desire differences is challenging, but our sexuality and relationship experts offer robust guidance on how to get couples to a new happy place. It’s a road map I think many of you may want to follow.

9. What Do Women Really Want in the Bedroom?

The starting point here: Every woman is unique, with different turn-ons. This topic goes deep, offering advice on how to best pleasure a woman sexually, physically and emotionally. My two cents to readers: Follow her lead.

10. My Female Partner Wants More Oral Sex. Help Me Get Better!

I never thought I’d have the privilege of writing an instruction manual on how to pleasure a woman orally, but here you go. Tongue, fingers, toys: Our experts break it down with ideas on how to help readers go from good to great.

Happy New Year to all the In the Mood readers!

Looking toward 2026, we have the goods for you on all sorts of reader concerns, ranging from what it’s like to feel invisible in a relationship to “skin hunger” (yep, it’s a thing). Keep your questions coming.

Do you have questions about sex or relationships as a 50-plus adult? Send them to sexafter50@aarp.org.

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