Although definitive figures are not available, sexual activity among older Americans has risen dramatically over the past decade, and with it has come a rise in sexually transmitted diseases, wrote AARP.org.
Rates of sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis and chlamydia have doubled for people in their 50s, 60s and 70s in the past decade reported ABC News.
The reported cases of syphilis and chlamydia among older adults outpaced the nation's average according to research, said Orlando Sentinel.
According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), some 2,550 cases of syphilis were reported among adults between the ages of 45 and 65 in 2010, wrote WebMD. That’s up from around 900 cases in the year 2000.
And the number of reported chlamydia cases in the age group almost tripled, said WebMD, from around 6,700 in 2000 to 19,600 a decade later.
Orlando Sentinel said that in the Sunbelt where older adults have formed large retirement communities, the rise was even more dramatic.
The numbers of older people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has nearly doubled, and 15 percent of new diagnoses of HIV in the United States were in people age 50 and older in 2005. That was the most recent year that the CDC calculated the risk for this age group, according to ABC News.
What’s worse is, researchers believe the figures these figures are low because they’re based on the small proportion of people who actually seek treatment, said AARP.org.
Researchers say it’s hard to know just why STD rates are on the rise among older people, mostly because there’s been so little research on the sex lives of older adults, wrote ABC News.
However, the increase of STDs is partially attributed to a combination of post-menopausal women who are no longer at risk of getting pregnant and older men who take advantage of the expanding erectile dysfunction drug market, said CBS News.
Furthermore, postmenopausal changes to the vagina, such as decreased lubrication, make older women are more vulnerable to infections, wrote ABC News.
Orlando Sentinel said that other factors driving the rise of STDs in the older set include Americans living longer and healthier lives, and more seniors are living in group retirement communities where there's more socializing.
The older generation’s view of condom use and safe sex is also probably less well-informed than their children’s reported ABC News. Reuters said researchers have noted that 50-year-olds are six times less likely to use a condom than men in their 20s.
As a result, according to New York Daily News, more nursing homes are introducing sexual education and safe sex counseling to residents. And Medicare may soon cover sexually transmitted disease tests for the elderly.
Sources:
Boyles, Salynn. "Sex and the Elderly: STD Risk Often Ignored." WebMD - Better information. Better health.. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2012.
http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/news/20120202/sex-and-elderly-std-risk-often-ignored
Goldwert, Lindsay. "More nursing home sex needed say old-age experts - New York Daily News." Featured Articles From The New York Daily News. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2012.
http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-06-26/news/32428723_1_nursing-homes-sexual-relationship-senior-citizens
Jameson, Marni. "Seniors STDs rise: Seniors STDs rise with active sex lives - Orlando Sentinel." Featured Articles From The Orlando Sentinel. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2012.
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-05-16/health/os-seniors-stds-national-20110516_1_std-cases-syphilis-and-chlamydia-older-adults
Joelving, Frederik. " Viagra-popping seniors lead the pack for STDs| Reuters." Business & Financial News, Breaking US & International News | Reuters.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2012.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/07/06/us-viagra-stds-idUSTRE6652HP20100706
Morris, Alex. "The Sex Issue - Sex and Love in Retirement -- New York Magazine." New York Magazine -- NYC Guide to Restaurants, Fashion, Nightlife, Shopping, Politics, Movies. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2012.
http://nymag.com/news/features/sex/2012/retirement-home-sex
Nursing Home Residents Need Sex, Researchers Say | Fox News Latino." Fox News Latino | Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2012.
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/health/2012/06/26/nursing-home-residents-need-sex-researchers-say
"Racy PSA warns seniors about STDs - CBS News." Breaking News Headlines: Business, Entertainment & World News - CBS News. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2012.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505269_162-57440791/racy-psa-warns-seniors-about-stds
"Sex Life of Older Adults and Rising STDs - ABC News." ABCNews.com - Breaking News, Latest News & Top Video News - ABC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2012.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/02/03/older-people-getting-busy-and-getting-stds
"Sex, Seniors and STDs -- Diseases on Rise in Seniors and 50+ -- Safe S... - AARP." AARP - Health, Travel Deals, Baby Boomers, Election News, Over 50, Online Games, Retirement Plan. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2012.
http://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-04-2011/sex-seniors-stds.html
Reviewed October 4, 2012
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith