People over 50 should be taught safe sex to combat rising STIs, rates of which have doubled in the last decade, research suggests.
Rising divorce rates, the emergence of Viagra, dating apps and the growth of retirement communities have combined to mean that “sexual risk-taking is now common among older adults.”
Rates of diseases including gonorrhea and syphilis have risen by almost a fifth in just four years among UK baby boomers.
Researchers found that in England, 31,902 new STIs were recorded in people over 45 in 2015, a figure that rose to 37,692 in 2019, an increase of 18 per cent.
Experts said this is likely an underestimate, as shame and lack of access to sexual health services mean many will not seek help.
Sex needs to be “normalized” and part of routine healthcare for older generations, they say, rather than simply focusing on the young.
Professor Justyna Kowalska, from the Medical University of Warsaw, said: “People do not become asexual with age.
‘In fact, with preventive medicine and better lifestyles, people enjoy a healthy and sexual life for longer.
«Older people often find greater satisfaction in their sexual lives thanks to experience and known expectations.
“We need more role models like Samantha Jones on the TV show Sex and the City to challenge stereotypes about older people’s sexuality.”
In England, 37,692 new STIs were recorded in people over 45 in 2019, compared to 31,902 in 2015, an increase of 18 per cent.
Study calls for better sex education among Baby Boomers as rates of diseases like chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis in older people soar
Meanwhile, half of men and almost a third of women aged 70 and over reported being sexually active, in a survey of sexual health in older adults in England.
Similarly, in a Swedish study, 46 percent of people aged 60 or older reported being sexually active, and one in 10 was 90 or older.
But for many, the lack of sex education in school, combined with the lack of risk of unwanted pregnancies, can increase risky behaviors.
Presenting her findings at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Barcelona, Professor Kowalska suggested that sex education programs should be tailored to people over 50, ensuring facilities are located within community settings. existing.
He added: ‘Sexual health campaigns focus on young people and overlook the needs and experiences of people aged 50 and over.
‘Health promotion messages give the impression that condoms and concerns about STIs only apply to young people.
“But the dangers of undiagnosed and untreated STIs, such as HPV-related cancers and their subsequent transmission, are very real, especially in this age group, which is more likely to have underlying diseases such as heart disease and stroke. “.
