ARE YOU HAVING SAFE SEX?
Sexually transmitted infections are on the rise among 40-somethings. Surprised? Here are the reasons why, the symptoms to look for, and how to get checked
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MR PETER GREENHOUSE is a sexual health specialist at Bristol Sexual Health and a spokesperson for the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV
Think sexually transmitted infections (STIs) only concern teens and 20-somethings? Time to think again. In 2015, the most recent year for which there are government statistics, more than 15,500 women over 35 were diagnosed with gonorrhoea, syphilis, chlamydia, herpes or genital warts. On top of this, one in six people newly diagnosed with HIV were aged 50 or over.
Experts believe the rise is happening for a number of reasons, but primarily because marriage is no longer forever. The most common age for divorce in the UK, for both men and women, is 40-44 – this means there’s a lot of older men and women entering the dating market again.