Older Women
Aren’t Immune to STD’s

Older Women Are More Sexually Active

There are
not a lot of statistics available for older women; however data collected by
researchers at the University of Michigan School of Public Health shows that
among women ages 60 to 94, 34 percent of married women and four percent of
non-married women report having had sexual activity in the past three months.  The end result of the findings is that these
activities have made some unsuspecting women more susceptible to getting an STD – especially HIV, the precursor to AIDS.

“Lots of
times the assumption is that women in older age groups aren’t sexually active,
or that they are in a stable long-term partnership with lower risk,” says Dr.
Divya |Patel, the study’s lead author and a researcher in the Department of
Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Michigan.  “In the past, you didn’t consider people who
are 70 or 80 having sex.  Now more
couples are able to have intercourse over a longer period of time, due to drugs
like Viagra and Cialis, so sexuality is extended into later parts of life, or
in some couples it has returned.  The
main thing to note is that women in the older age group do engage in these
behaviours that increase their risk of STDs.”

Increase in Diagnosis of HIV/AIDs Amongst Older Women

In fact, in
2005, 15 percent of all new HIV diagnosis was among men and women over the age
of 50, according to data collected by the Centers for Disease Control.  Data is limited on other STDs in the
older population since STD testing is not routinely performed – even though
older women do get them.

The causes
for the rise in STDs in older women are biological, cultural and socially
related.  Older people re-entering the
dating pool, whether through divorce or death of a partner, places them at
risk.  Many women become sexually active
with a new partner later in life and her past cultural experiences may not encourage her to make choices that will avoid
contracting an STD.  Most HIV/AIDS and
STD awareness is targeted to younger age groups, so these older women did not
get the information in school or from their doctors.  Again, cultural/sociological boundaries often
make “the talk” with new partners taboo and they’re also less likely to use a
condom.

Still Needing Protection

After
menopause, childbearing is no longer an issue, and the likelihood of discussing the use
of protection, like condoms, is slim.  On top of it
all, physical changes that come with age, the natural thinning of the vaginal
wall and reduced lubrication make vaginal tearing more frequent, and the
subsequent contraction of an STD more inevitable.