Older people, especially gay men, are getting more STIs than ever. What’s going on?
press statement in advance of the conference, they explained what was happening… and suggested some reasons.For example, STIs in Americans aged 55 to 64 years have more than doubled over the past decade.
It’s even worse for gonorrhea, rising from 15 cases per 100,000 people in 2015 to 57 per 100,000 in 2019.Subscribe to our newsletter for a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.In England, the number of over 45s diagnosed with gonorrhea and syphilis doubled between 2015 and 2019.
The majority of that rise has been in gay men.Professor Justyna Kowalska from the Medical University of Warsaw, who leads the research offers some reasons.
These include the rise of dating apps, and erectile dysfunction medication such as Viagra. An increasing number of people are having sex at a later stage in life.“Rising divorce rates, forgoing condoms as there is no risk of pregnancy, the availability of drugs for sexual dysfunction, the large number of older adults living together in retirement communities, and the increased use of dating apps are likely to have contributed to the growing incidence of STIs in the over 50s”, says Professor Kowalska.It’s known that some men are foregoing condoms due to advances in HIV treatment and prevention.“These data likely underestimate the true extent of the problem as limited access to sexual health services for the over 50s, and trying to avoid the stigma and embarrassment both on the part of older people and healthcare professionals, is leading to this age group not seeking help for STIs,” continued Kowalska.She says assumptions that people stop having sex as they age need to be challenged.
