The silence around the sexuality of people over 45 is identified as the cause of the increased risk of developing sexually transmitted diseases in this category of the population.
- Those over 45 most at risk are usually those entering new relationships after a period of monogamy, often post-menopause, when pregnancy is no longer a consideration, but little concern for STDs.
- Stigma and shame have been identified as the biggest barriers to adults accessing sexual health services.
- Their health professionals, such as doctors and nurses, lack proper knowledge about sexual health.
Turning 45 is often a pivotal moment in life. It is also the time chosen by married people who choose to separate for divorce. Divorced men are on average 42 years old and divorced women 44 years old. Behind, a new sexual life opens. A sexuality which is little talked about but which would be the most prone to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), report researchers from the UK, Belgium and the Netherlands.
STDs not considered by those over 45
Lack of awareness of the dangers of unprotected sex is pointed to as the cause of this predominance of STDs among those over 45 years old. The researchers estimate that the “major changes” of sexual behavior over the past few decades have seen increasing numbers of sexually active older people yet many barely consider the possibility of STDs. “The over-45s most at risk are usually those entering new relationships after a period of monogamy, often post-menopause, when pregnancy is no longer a consideration, but little concern for STDs”, advances Ian Tyndall, professor at the British University of Chichester.
To obtain these results, the researchers interviewed 800 adults between England, Belgium and the Netherlands. Nearly 80% of respondents are between the ages of 45 and 65, while 58% of those considered socioeconomically disadvantaged are between the ages of 45 and 54. The researchers found that more than 50% of respondents in both the general population and the socioeconomically disadvantaged group had never been tested for a sexually transmitted disease.
A stigma in question
Stigma and shame have been identified as the biggest barriers to adults accessing sexual health services. Many participants indicated that they believe that sexual health is a term “dirty”, discouraging people from getting checked regularly. “Societal stigma and assumptions that older people are asexual and that sex is no longer a part of their lives are a major barrier to accessing services. This really limits the knowledge of sexual health services in this group”, observes Tess Hartland, who participated in the study, to CNN. One “significant number” of survey respondents said they were unaware of the risks of sexually transmitted infections while 42% of participants in the UK and the Netherlands did not know where the nearest sexual health center was.
“Many services and sexual health promotion are truly youth friendly”, recognizes Tss Hartland, pointing out that some people over the age of 45 may have received limited sexual health education in school, which affects their attitudes today. Participants also reported that their healthcare professionals, such as doctors and nurses, lack appropriate knowledge about sexual health. “Of course, this is quite a sensitive subject and it can be quite difficult to bring it up, as a medical professional, to someone over 45.”, she added.
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