Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Golden years, golden risk: the startling increase of STDs in seniors

Shannon Dowler, MD
Conditions
February 16, 2023
26 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

An excerpt from Never Too Late: Your Guide to Safer Sex after 60.

The sexual revolution that began in the 1960s challenged social norms and traditional concepts, promoted acceptance, and liberated individuals from sexual repression. It effectively transformed society and how we, in the United States, thought about sex. Today, those same people are helping us see that sexual exploration in the Golden Years remains as vigorous as it was in the 1960s. Unfortunately, along with increased sexual activity comes the risk of sexually transmitted diseases.

It’s a common misconception that the younger generation is the only group susceptible to infection. Adolescents and young adults make up only 25 percent of the sexually active population, but they are diagnosed with over 50 percent of the sexually transmitted infections, so they are definitely top contenders. Surprisingly though, seniors over the age of 55—baby boomers—are actually one of the fastest-growing demographics contracting STDs. The children who explored free love at Woodstock and sexual promiscuity at Studio 54 are now thriving in retirement communities, with Viagra and Cialis in their pockets and nothing but time on their hands. Without the threat of pregnancy looming overhead, seniors are engaging in unprotected sex at an alarming rate. According to a study published by Athena Health, seniors have the lowest condom use of any population. This makes sense if the only reason you use a condom is to prevent pregnancy, but barrier methods (forms of contraception that create a physical barrier between the male’s sperm and the female’s egg) are also critical to preventing unwanted infections by blocking the exchange of body fluids, and all signs point to the reality that seniors aren’t using them.

Sexually transmitted diseases and infections are at an all-time high in the United States, with increases year after year for the past decade and no sign of relenting. According to the World Health Organization, more than 1 million sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are acquired every day worldwide. Each year, in the United States, there are an estimated 376 million new infections with one of four STDs: chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, or trichomoniasis. (This is a great time to consider your need for sex ed: how familiar are you with all of these incredibly common infections?) More than 500 million people are estimated to have genital infection with herpes simplex virus. More than 290 million women have a human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that the rapid increase in people contracting STDs must be confronted. And I agree.

Shannon Dowler is a family physician and author of Never Too Late: Your Guide to Safer Sex after 60.

Prev

Empowering Type 2 diabetes patients with innovative insulin management tools [PODCAST]

February 15, 2023 Kevin 0
…
Next

Food allergy tragedies: the reality that haunts us

February 16, 2023 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Infectious Disease

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Empowering Type 2 diabetes patients with innovative insulin management tools [PODCAST]
Next Post >
Food allergy tragedies: the reality that haunts us

More by Shannon Dowler, MD

  • Will artificial intelligence be able to have this conversation?

    Shannon Dowler, MD
  • “The Wait” after a mammogram changes lives

    Shannon Dowler, MD

Related Posts

  • The risk physicians take when going on social media

    Anonymous
  • Silence isn’t golden when it comes to health

    R. Lynn Barnett
  • How to increase your HPV vaccination rates

    Elizabeth Copeland, MD
  • 5 urban legends about risk-adjusted diagnosis coding

    Betsy Nicoletti, MS
  • Uninsured medical students are at risk

    Zannah Herridge-Meyer, Melanie Langa, and Kelly Stewart
  • Doctors: You can increase voting in the U.S.

    Rio Barrere-Cain

More in Conditions

  • The psychoanalytic hammer: lessons in listening and patient-centered care

    Greg Smith, MD
  • 5 essential tips to help men prevent prostate cancer

    Kevin Jones, MD
  • Changing the pediatric care landscape: Integrating behavioral and mental health care

    Hilary M. Bowers, MD
  • Unlocking the secret to successful weight loss: Curiosity is the key

    Franchell Hamilton, MD
  • The teacher who changed my life through reading

    Raymond Abbott
  • Revaluating mental health assessments: It’s not just the patient you should consider

    Tomi Mitchell, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Healing the damaged nurse-physician dynamic

      Angel J. Mena, MD and Ali Morin, MSN, RN | Policy
    • The struggle to fill emergency medicine residency spots: Exploring the factors behind the unfilled match

      Katrina Gipson, MD, MPH | Physician
    • From physician to patient: one doctor’s journey to finding purpose after a devastating injury

      Stephanie Pearson, MD | Physician
    • Breaking the stigma: Addressing the struggles of physicians

      Jean Antonucci, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • The hidden dangers of the Nebraska Heartbeat Act

      Meghan Sheehan, MD | Policy
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
  • Recent Posts

    • Revolutionizing COPD management with virtual care solutions [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • What I think it means to be a medical student in the wake of AI

      Jackson J. McCue | Tech
    • It’s time for C-suite to contract directly with physicians for part-time work

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
    • The psychoanalytic hammer: lessons in listening and patient-centered care

      Greg Smith, MD | Conditions
    • From rural communities to underserved populations: How telemedicine is bridging health care gaps

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
    • 5 essential tips to help men prevent prostate cancer

      Kevin Jones, MD | Conditions

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Sam Neill's Rare Lymphoma
  • Day in the Life of a Doctor: Treating a Patient With Septic Shock
  • Paxlovid May Lower Long COVID Risk, VA Study Suggests
  • Digital Inhalers May Improve Uncontrolled Asthma Management
  • Another Win for Zolbetuximab in Advanced Gastric/GEJ Cancer

Meeting Coverage

  • Switch to IL-23 Blocker Yields Deep Responses in Recalcitrant Plaque Psoriasis
  • Biomarkers of Response With Enfortumab Vedotin in Advanced Urothelial Cancer
  • At-Home Topical Therapy for Molluscum Contagiosum Gets High Marks
  • Outlook for Itchy Prurigo Nodularis Continues to Improve With IL-31 Antagonist
  • AAAAI President Shares Highlights From the 2023 Meeting
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Healing the damaged nurse-physician dynamic

      Angel J. Mena, MD and Ali Morin, MSN, RN | Policy
    • The struggle to fill emergency medicine residency spots: Exploring the factors behind the unfilled match

      Katrina Gipson, MD, MPH | Physician
    • From physician to patient: one doctor’s journey to finding purpose after a devastating injury

      Stephanie Pearson, MD | Physician
    • Breaking the stigma: Addressing the struggles of physicians

      Jean Antonucci, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • The hidden dangers of the Nebraska Heartbeat Act

      Meghan Sheehan, MD | Policy
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
  • Recent Posts

    • Revolutionizing COPD management with virtual care solutions [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • What I think it means to be a medical student in the wake of AI

      Jackson J. McCue | Tech
    • It’s time for C-suite to contract directly with physicians for part-time work

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
    • The psychoanalytic hammer: lessons in listening and patient-centered care

      Greg Smith, MD | Conditions
    • From rural communities to underserved populations: How telemedicine is bridging health care gaps

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
    • 5 essential tips to help men prevent prostate cancer

      Kevin Jones, MD | Conditions

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today iMedicalApps
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...