I haven't found any substantial studies to support this but I talked to fellow colleagues and we are wondering if (a) peri-menopause or menopause with the hormonal shifts could somehow impact the virus and frequency of recurrences or (b) many of us are in this age group and find stress actually heightened because kids are leaving the nest for college;professional experiences are sometimes challenging at this age - you're not going where you want to go and are feeling your age (c) your dealing with the stress of aging parents - it can be a great time in your life or a stressful time - and there's obviously a huge correlation between stress and recurrences.   Those are some of the things I might look at.  Anti-virals can certainly be helpful especially with increased recurrences so do talk to your doctor.