Specialists who run the UK's sexual health clinics strongly support the FPA's campaign to raise awareness of increasing STI risk in the over 50s.
Peter Greenhouse, Sexual Health Consultant at Bristol, and spokesperson for the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH), commented:
"The post-pill, pre-AIDS generation - who are now well into "Middle Youth" - were less likely to use condoms than any generation before or since, and will have carried a higher risk of STIs from their teenage years onwards: from here to infirmity, so to speak.
"We're especially concerned about the risks of undiagnosed HIV for this generation, which are increased in postmenopausal women because of vaginal fragility, particularly if they're not using hormone replacement therapy.
"Most doctors don't think to ask older people about their sexual activity, let alone their HIV risk: About a third of all cases of HIV are undiagnosed, so we want older people to get themselves checked if they think they may be at risk.
"Sexual Health clinics aren't just for youngsters: Older people shouldn't feel embarrassed to attend, because most of us who run the clinics are from the same generation, and we've 'been there'."
Notes
1. BASHH is the lead professional representative body for those managing STIs and HIV in the UK. It seeks to innovate and deliver excellent tailored education and training to healthcare professionals, trainers and trainees in the UK and to determine, monitor and maintain standards of governance in the provision of sexual health and HIV care.
Peter Greenhouse, Sexual Health Consultant at Bristol, and spokesperson for the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH), commented:
"The post-pill, pre-AIDS generation - who are now well into "Middle Youth" - were less likely to use condoms than any generation before or since, and will have carried a higher risk of STIs from their teenage years onwards: from here to infirmity, so to speak.
"We're especially concerned about the risks of undiagnosed HIV for this generation, which are increased in postmenopausal women because of vaginal fragility, particularly if they're not using hormone replacement therapy.
"Most doctors don't think to ask older people about their sexual activity, let alone their HIV risk: About a third of all cases of HIV are undiagnosed, so we want older people to get themselves checked if they think they may be at risk.
"Sexual Health clinics aren't just for youngsters: Older people shouldn't feel embarrassed to attend, because most of us who run the clinics are from the same generation, and we've 'been there'."
Notes
1. BASHH is the lead professional representative body for those managing STIs and HIV in the UK. It seeks to innovate and deliver excellent tailored education and training to healthcare professionals, trainers and trainees in the UK and to determine, monitor and maintain standards of governance in the provision of sexual health and HIV care.
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