When I was a young man and probably into middle age, the desire for sex outweighed other aspects of a relationship. What was an eye-opener for me was just how many young women seemed to prioritise sexual encounters. The thought was that women peaked in their early thirties and men in their late teens and early twenties.
My experience suggests sex is and was always a priority for both sexes, male and female. Romantic love was present, but it wasn't as dominant as I had thought.
Reaching older years, neither men nor women in good health seem to decline that much with their sexual desires, though their preferences and interactions are both more direct yet subtle at the same time.
I suspect we humans do not abandon aspects of sexual interest unless we are very ill or have expired.
