Women 'hit sexual peak at age 35'

Previous research appeared to indicate that women peaked sexually at 28 and men at 31 but the study suggests that the true figure for women is at least seven years later.

The new research found that women with the highest sex drives are aged between 35 and 44 - with 17 percent rating their libido as 10 out of 10, the Daily Mail reported.

More than a third of women, 36 percent in the same age group are having sex two to three times a week and fifth, 20 percent, four to six times a week.

More than three-quarters of women in this age group are totally satisfied with their sex lives.

One factor in the high levels of sexual satisfaction in middle-aged women is the hit erotic novel ‘Fifty Shades Of Grey,' of those who have read the book, 47 percent say that it has actively influenced their sex lives.

And fun-loving celebrities in the 35 to 44 age group appear to confirm the trend.

Hollywood beauty Cameron Diaz, 40, said she had enjoying the best sex of her life as she has got older.

"I love physical contact. I have to be touching my love, like, always. It's not optional," she said.

Sex toy retailer Lovehoney polled 2,100 men and women ranging in age from 18 to over 65.

The aim was to find out how happy people are with their sex lives, how often they have sex and how libido is affected by age.

"Many women do find their arousal levels actually increase with age, and that they peak sexually in their mid-thirties to forties," Sex and relationship expert Julie Peasgood said.

"I think the popularity of Fifty Shades of Grey indicates a sensual appetite, particularly in older women, and has enabled women to feel more connected with their sexuality.

"This survey seems to demonstrate that as women reach their 30s and 40s, many of them in long-term relationship, they have, for the most part, developed an awareness of their bodies and what will satisfy the needs of themselves and their partners," she added.