This is how we do it: He gives me the confidence to try things I've never done before'

"When you meet someone at 55, you come with baggage. Yesterday we had a big fight but after sex in the shower the tension between us softened. I remember the feeling of Laurent's blue eyes on me the night we met. He says he knew immediately. I had recently reconnected with an old boyfriend but he was married and kept me in the shadows. But with Laurent there was a sense that this might actually be something real."

"I come from a traditional, Mexican Catholic family. Growing up, the expectation was to stay a virgin, then marry young and have lots of children, which I found suffocating. After divorcing my first husband, I moved to Europe, where I felt free to be myself and explore sexually for the first time. Menopause coincided with meeting Laurent, but I haven't experienced the decreased desire my friends talk about"

A woman in her mid-50s experiences renewed sexual vitality and adventurous intimacy after meeting Laurent, a committed and loyal partner who prioritizes her. She left a traditional Mexican Catholic upbringing that demanded virginity and early marriage, later divorcing and moving to Europe to explore her sexuality freely. She was widowed nine years ago and found returning to love intimidating, but Laurent’s confidence and spontaneity encouraged new experiences, including early sexual intimacy and risky encounters. Language differences sometimes cause misunderstandings, yet the emotional connection and better sex create a sense of aliveness. Menopause coincided with the relationship, but her desire remains strong.

Read at www.theguardian.com