Study uncovers overlooked sexual health crisis among adults over 50

Cases of gonorrhoea, syphilis, chlamydia, and other STIs are rising rapidly in older adults. [iStockphoto]

If you think sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are just a problem for young people, think again. Cases of gonorrhoea, syphilis, chlamydia, and other STIs are rising rapidly in older adults across the world. 

At the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2024), experts plan to shine a light on this often-overlooked sexual health issue and call for more openness when it comes to discussing the sex lives and needs of the over-50 crowd.

“People do not become asexual with age. In fact, with preventive medicine and improved lifestyles, people are enjoying a healthy life and sex life for longer,” explains Professor Justyna Kowalska, an infectious disease expert from the Medical University of Warsaw, in a media release.

Although data on the local situation is not comprehensive, the release reports higher rates of STIs among older populations in Kenya, China, Korea, Botswana, and other countries worldwide.

It further singles out the US and the UK as places with particularly surging cases of STIs among the elderly population. (This perhaps calls to younger African girls who are often sighted with older caucasian men to practise more caution)

“Rates of gonorrhoea among 55 to 64-year-olds increased fivefold from 2015 to 2019. Similar trends have been seen for syphilis, chlamydia, and other STIs in this age group,” reads the press release.

In the United Kingdom, the total number of new STI diagnoses in the over-45 crowd rose 18 per cent from 2015 to 2019, up to nearly 38,000 cases. This included a doubling in cases of gonorrhoea and syphilis. 

While sex may wane with age, research shows plenty of older adults are still doing it. 

“These findings indicate that sexual risk-taking is common among older adults, particularly men,” notes Professor Justyna Kowalska, the study author and an infectious disease expert from the Medical University of Warsaw.

The study also found that recent widowhood increased a man’s risk of getting an STI but not a woman’s. Additionally, the introduction of Viagra appeared to exacerbate that risk for older men.

“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,” says Prof Kowalska.

“Health promotion messages seem to imply that condoms and concerns about STIs only apply to young people,” the study author adds.

Professor Kowalska and other experts argue it’s time to change that by incorporating sexual health into routine care for older patients, launching educational campaigns tailored to older demographics, using peer counsellors and community settings to reduce stigma, and making condoms, testing, and treatment more accessible to the elderly.

“Increasing older adults’ knowledge of the risk of STIs and how to engage in safer sex is crucial to tackling record levels of STIs”, urges Prof. Kowalska. “Older people have a right to good sexual health. Let’s normalise conversations around sex and older people and change the narrative on ageing.”

“With preventive medicine and improved lifestyles, people are enjoying a healthy life and sex life for longer,” says Professor Kowalska.