A new section is being launched on the Trust’s sexual health clinic website to educate over-50s about the risks of having intercourse without using protection.

The Whittall Street Clinic in Birmingham city centre is seeing an increasing number of older adults with sexually transmitted diseases (STI) and HIV.

Many of those seeking help have become newly single through divorce, separation, or the death of their partners and have started new sexual relationships without using condoms. Others are women who have gone through the menopause who do not see the need for protection while older adult men believe condom use worsens their erectile dysfunction.

Dr Kaveh Manavi, Consultant physician and HIV Service Lead for University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the clinic, said: “Many older adults believe that they are not at risk of STI. The common mis-belief that older adults do not engage in sexual activities adds to the stigma and means people do not seek help early enough.”

He said many older adults found it difficult to approach the clinic.

“Concerns about discussing their problems with a doctor of the opposite sex, thinking that their doctors may judge them if they know about their sexual history, and a belief that people should not have sex after a certain age, have been identified as the most common reasons.

“Lack of knowledge about STI and HIV also leads some of the older adults to relate their genital problems and symptoms to “normal ageing” preventing them from seeking medical advice.”

Latest data from the Student British Medical Journal reveals STIs in 50-90 year olds have doubled in the past ten years. Some 80% of 50-90 years olds are sexually active. There has also been an increase in cases of HIV with those aged 50 and over accounting for 20% of adults accessing HIV care, an 82% increase on figures from 2001. This may be down to HIV patients living longer but new diagnoses of HIV in the over 50s have doubled between 2000 and 2009.

A contributory factor is believed to be that over-50s compose the fastest-growing demographics for those who use online dating.

“We know that a significantly higher proportion of older adults infected with STI and HIV are diagnosed late,” said Dr Manavi. “It is therefore important for people in this age range to follow the same advice for STI as for younger adults: use a condom in all sexual encounters and get tested for STI and HIV regularly.

“At Whittall Street we have clinicians from both genders at all our clinics. Our staff are fully trained to offer a non-judgmental and fully confidential service. We will never inform GPs without our patients’ permission.”

To visit the new section for older adults, please see the 'Too old for sexually transmitted infections?' page on the Whittall Street Clinic website.

Appointments for confidential and free testing can be booked online at the Whittall Street Clinic website or by telephone:

Tel: 0121 237 5700