Introduction:

Despite the care need expressed by older adults, sexuality is a human dimension that is hardly addressed by Health Sciences.

Objective:

To describe the meaning of older adults' sexuality based on the influence exerted by the world and the body.

Method:

A phenomenological study guided by the concepts of Merleau Ponty's Phenomenology of Perception, conducted in a city from central Mexico with groups of older adults. Intentional sampling with the following selection criteria: older adults with preserved verbal communication ability, with no cognitive decline (≥24 points in the Mini-Mental State Examination), and with legal decision capacity; the participants were 16 older adults, considering the data saturation criterion. Virtual phenomenological interviews were conducted, analyzed according to Giorgi's phenomenological method. The ethical and qualitative rigor criteria were respected.

Results:

Three topics emerged from the units of meaning identified, namely: 1) The world as experienced by older adults; 2) Possibilities of the current body; and 3) Stereotypes and preconceptions about older adults' sexuality.

Conclusions:

Older adults' sexuality is influenced by the context where they interact and by the experiences underwent in this aspect throughout their lives. Diseases and physical limitations affect aged people's sexuality and hinder its expression; in this same sense, the stereotypes and preconceptions about sexuality existing in society and in the family condition sexual expression and force older adults themselves to repress their sexuality.

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