The middle-aged and elderly have the lowest rate of STIs but in Australia, for example, STIs in older people are increasing at a faster rate than for any other group. This has led sexual health expert Dr Catherine Barrett, of the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, to call for a wider and more open discussion in society around sexuality and older people.
The infections most likely to be passed between and to older people are herpes, syphilis and HIV with middle-aged men most at risk of the latter two STIs in Australia.
Women approaching the menopause or who have gone beyond the menopause have also been shown to be less likely to use condoms, believing that as they have no need for contraception any longer, condoms are pointless. Older men, many using drugs that help with erectile dysfunction, are also less inclined to use condoms. However, condoms are the most effective barrier against STIs with a 98% success rate.
An increase in the divorce rate, a more laidback attitude towards casual sex and even the rise in online dating are all adding to the rise in STIs among older people across the developed world.
Intimacy and sexual activity in older people is a topic from which many people shy away, embarrassed by the thought of parents or even grandparents indulging in such behaviour. But this reluctance to accept that sexual desire doesn’t end with the first grey hair or the advent of the menopause could be putting lives at risk. And no red face is worth that.