Learn How To Treat Sexually Transmitted Infections By: Arthur Clerk

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain has warned that thousands over over-45s are taking risks with their health by indulging in unsafe sexual practices. In a survey of over 2,000 adults it was revealed that nearly a fifth of those in the relevant age group had had unprotected sex with someone other than a long-term partner in the past five years.

The results showed that the older generation tended to be careless about the possibility of catching an STI and shared the misconception that their chances of catching something like Chlamydia, gonorrhoea or HIV were “next to nothing”, as 20% of them described it. A quarter of the respondents said that they trusted their sexual partner had no infections so did not use protection, while 10% said that they didn’t like the feeling of condoms.

Sexually transmitted infections have been rapidly increasing over the past decade and the over-40s are increasingly becoming one of the groups seen as ‘at risk’, as marriages break up, relationships change and the fear of pregnancy recedes, encouraging the sexually active to ignore the need for condoms. Rates of Chlamydia infection have tripled in the past ten years; though this is partly due to improved Chlamydia screening experts are largely agreed it is due to an increase in unsafe sex.

Most STIs are easy to treat with a course of antibiotics, though some, like HIV and herpes, conditions for which there is no cure but they can be controlled with medication. Many STD testing clinics and primary healthcare trusts have been taking advantage of STD home tests, urine sample kits that can be sent to a potential patient’s home and then sent back to the laboratory at their convenience, to blanket-send Chlamydia test kits to those aged 25 and under, the group considered most at risk and therefore most in need of Chlamydia or gonorrhoea testing. However this means that the over-forties have been almost entirely missed out of government initiatives pushing people to be aware of their sexual health.

A Department of Health representative said that “The message is the same for everyone - Anyone having unprotected sex potentially puts themselves at risk of an STI. Infections rates have risen in all age groups, including older people. Older people also need to be aware of the need to use condoms consistently, particularly those who are newly single and entering relationships with new partners." That said, it is unclear how to get that message through to this age group; while the under-25s are easy to target through campaigns in schools, colleges and via social marketing, the over-40s are a more difficult demographic to reach.

Heidi Wright, spokesperson for the RPSGB, recommended that the older generations be included in current campaigns to promote education about STIs. “The majority of safe sex messages are targeted at teenagers, but as more adults begin new relationships later in life, they quite clearly need advice too”, she said, adding “You can't always tell who has an STI and infections don't discriminate on the basis of age”.

Arthur Clerk is an online researcher and writer. He has written many articles on health and fitness. For gonorrhea home testing, STD testing clinics, he recommends you to visit: http://www.thesticlinic.com/

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