Older Men Taking Medication For ED More Likely To Contract STIs

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Image of Hugh Hefner courtesy of AskMen.com

STIs are not ageist (or sexist, racist, or any other kind of -ist)! Although the actual percentage of older men with STIs pales in comparison to that of their younger counterparts, the rate of increase is significant.

According to a study of Medicare and other medical data conducted by sociologists at Harvard University, “between 2005 and 2009 the rate for syphilis in [older] men… went from 1.9 per 100,000 people in 2005 to 2.9 per 100,000 in 2009…chlamydia rate went from 8 per 100,000 to 11 per 100,000 during the same period.”

Additionally, the researchers discovered that men taking medication for erectile dysfunction were more 1.5 times more likely to have an STI than those not taking medication. So, basically, just because you can’t get it up doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wrap it up.

You can access the full article here.

About Michaela

Michaela

Michaela is a senior in college studying human sexuality and anthropology. When she's not blogging, you'll catch her crafting, cooking, or working at impish, a baby boutique. She hopes to one day be a professor of feminist anthropology/sexuality studies.

  • http://twitter.com/YouShouldKnowCA You Should Know

    Many women and men who are in their “middle to later years” didn’t have the same sex education that young people get these days. If they were once aware of the need to prevent pregnancy, they may not ever have been informed about STIs. Men are also more likely to be asymptomatic carriers of some STIs, and not know that they are infected. Basic safer sex education is really needed in these populations, but how can we reach somebody with information they don’t know they need? That’s the challenge.