STD Rates Still Up Among Seniors, Study Finds, Viagra Possibly to Blame

Every few years, there is a kind of gross study about senior citizens and skyrocketing STD rates. (It was even referenced on an episode of Scrubs.)

But it seems that for whatever reason, people in their golden years just do not want to practice safe sex. Perhaps it’s the non-existent risk of pregnancy, but your grandma struggles every day to keep it in her pants. No, really- according to a recent study, 80% of all people aged 50 to 90 are sexually active, which is probably higher than the numbers among your group of friends right now. Old people are having more sex than you. Ahem.

As to why sexually transmitted diseases are up among the aging, scientists do have a compelling theory. Erectile dysfunction medications- also known as boner pills- became widely available during the late 1990’s, and their (giggle) rise may be contributing to the number of olds getting their freak on without the benefit of latex. And according to the study, just 12% of older men and 32% of older women admit to consistently using condoms. According to WebMD, men using drugs to treat erectile dysfunction had twice the rate of STD infection of men that did not regularly take the medication.

Researchers underscored the need for older patients and physicians to speak frankly about sex and STDs in order to reduce the numbers of seniors threatening their health by risking sexual infections.

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Tags: Aging, Health, Old People, Sex, STDs

About the Author

Kim LaCapria Kim LaCapria is a writer and editor based in New York. A longtime information junkie, she began blogging full-time at the Inquisitr in 2009. Prior to that, she worked as a marketing assistant in the cosmetics and skincare industry. In addition to her writing for fortytwotimes, she also writes for Medacity and The Inquisitr. Kim is also a contributor for SocialNewsDaily, Indyposted, and TotallyMoney. In the past, she contributed to Lipstick and Luxury and managed social media accounts and blogs for several small and mid-sized businesses.