Safe sex after 50
`I discovered later in life that I needed to make better choicesabout taking care of my sexual health'. It was not long ago whenI realized that many people are sexually active far into theireighties. I understood that when I was talking wit...
...h a79-year-old relative I'm very close to. I was telling her aboutmy activism around HIV/AIDS and sexualhealth. Suddenly her animated, engaged expression froze intoa look of horror. "Oh, my God, can I get it?" she asked. Thenshe revealed that she had been having unprotected sex with herpartner, and that she knew he had relations with other womentoo. What's more she herself admitted she had another malefriend with whom she was occasionally intimate.Having looked at my personal experience I knew that unprotectedsex regardless of age-could lead to a sexually transmitteddisease (STD). At the age of 50, I realized that my lover ofthree years had given me one. I was astonished that this hadhappened to me! I started consulting women my age and older, Iheard many stories of mature women who had been infected byhusbands or partners who had sexual contacts on the side. Thiswoke me up.I came to conclusion then that the only person in the worldwhose sexual behavior I could be certain about was me. When Iwas younger, only unwanted pregnancy was the big fear. Later,menopause freed me from that concern. But suddenly I wasdiscovering I needed to be more careful about my sexual life, soI could make better choices about protecting myself.The HIV statistics in Black communities all over the world issobering. The transmission of STDs, HIV and hepatitis B can bereduced by the use of condoms. But in spite of extensivepublic-health campaigns to promote safer-sex practices, manypeople over 50 still do not see the need to use condoms.This attitude has contributed to a startling statistic:According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,between 1991 and 1996 HIV infections transmitted throughheterosexual sex rose by 94%n men over 50, and 96% in women over50. Although the number of patients with AIDS among seniors isrelatively small-1,400 in 1996, up from 700 in 1991-experts areconvinced these figures probably underestimate the problembecause older people are less willing to be examined for HIVthan younger adults. The symptoms of the illness can even bemasked by other diseases or attributed to aging. As aconsequence, one of the fastest-growing HIV demographic groupsis heterosexuals age over 50.What if you have never used condoms before? Whatever happened togrowing wiser as you grow older? It's a wonderful achievementthat nowadays people with HIV have access to the best drugs, canfeel better and live longer than before. But the real triumphwill come when all people have the information and the personalself-respect to embrace the tools of prevention-the consistent,correct use of condoms by sexually active people, no matter howold we are.
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