Elderly people end up in prison due to STI taboo

Reading time: 2 minutes – Published in The New York Times.

After a marriage of more than twenty years ended in divorce, sixty-year-old Amy from Texas had several serious relationships and several sexual partners. For several months now, she has been dating a man whom she calls her “sex friend”—a friend with whom she has a sexual relationship. There is nothing serious between them. This is another reason why she should be vigilant during every sexual encounter to avoid contracting a sexually transmitted infection (STI). “Before I engage in intimate relationships with anyone, I ask to see negative results from their screening tests. I also always insist on using condoms.”– Amy admits to the New York Times.

Caution is required as the rate of STIs among older people has recently increased. Cases of syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia doubled between 2012 and 2022 among people over 55, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Society mistakenly believes that older people don’t have sex anymore.”

Research shows that a large number of older people are not aware of the risks they are exposed to by having unprotected sex. Joan Price, a sex educator who specializes in older people’s sexuality, agrees: “I often hear people say to me: ‘But I don’t need to protect myself, I can’t get pregnant at my age anymore!’ or “Older people cannot get STIs.”. Several men confided in him their reluctance to use a condom, mistakenly believing that putting one on would prevent an erection. The topic of ‘condoms’ is also said to be taboo among women, with some not daring to mention it to their male partners for fear of appearing impolite. “women of loose morals”.

For Shannon Dowler, a general practitioner in North Carolina, this increase in STIs among older adults is not surprising: “People just live longer and continue to have sex later than before.”. She explains: “Men have benefited from erectile dysfunction medications and women have benefited from hormone therapy, which helps them maintain a more enjoyable sex life longer.”.

Geriatric medicine specialist Mariah Robertson identifies another reason for the problem. Doctors who see older patients for routine checkups often don’t give them advice about their sex lives or offer testing for STDs and STIs, she said. “Today’s society mistakenly believes that older people no longer have much or no sex!”she exclaims, before adding: “In an ideal world, all GPs would ask their older patients about their sexual activity during routine consultations.”.

Hilary Reno, a University of Washington professor and director of a sexual health clinic, regularly sees older patients who come in for STI testing. In a tone intended to reassure, she states: “Coming to get tested is not a failure. Getting tested means being proactive when it comes to your health.”.