STIs After Menopause: Avoid the “Ack”

Imagine yourself with a new lover, enjoying the discovery of sex again. Everything goes great for weeks, until you start to have pain when you pee and wonder what that’s all about. You go to the doctor, and find you have an STI. Oh. 

Unfortunately, being post-menopausal doesn’t mean we can’t get STIs (sexually transmitted infections). Sure, young people are more likely to get them than those over 40, but we’re still at risk. And we may be at a disadvantage if we don’t have decent safer sex information or know all we need to about STIs. You may not need condoms for birth control anymore, but don’t ditch them just yet. It might be time to increase your supply. 

What do you know about safer sex? Are you having (or happily contemplating) sex with a new partner? According to info from the BC Centre for Disease Control, some STIs can be transmitted through skin to skin contact even if you’re using condoms, so talk to your partners about STI testing before you have sex (find tips here). Many STIs aren’t visibly detectable so you can’t tell just by looking at someone whether they’re okay.  

Have you talked to your doctor about STI screening? Awkward, I know, but a necessary part of a healthy sex life. You can have some STIs for years without any obvioius symptoms, so even long-term monogamous partners may haved exposed each other to things unknowingly.

They didn’t used to call STIs “social diseases” for nothing. So if you’re sexually social, avoid the "ack" moment of being diagnosed with a STI and get yourself checked out. Get tested and practice safer sex. You won’t regret it.

Check This Out:
Put Your Condom on Please

- Janet

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Youshouldknow.ca: sexual health news, views and science for women in perimenopause and beyond. Find info on preventing sexually transmitted infections, aging considerations, and relationship dynamics. Supportive information for all of us as we move into our middle years with partners new and old.