More older adults across the Suncoast are dating again after divorce or the loss of a spouse, and health experts want them to know something important: getting older does not make anyone immune to sexually transmitted diseases. You cannot tell by looking at a partner whether they have an infection, and menopause prevents pregnancy but offers no protection against gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV or HPV. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease and can cause cancer later in life.
Part of the challenge is generational. Many people now in their sixties and seventies were last single before routine testing and open conversations about sexual health became common, so the playbook feels unfamiliar. Dr. Rhea Rogers and aging experts Sam Cradduck and Amy O’Rourke all point to the same starting line: get tested, talk honestly with new partners and with your doctor, and use protection correctly. That includes checking lubricants, since some can damage latex condoms, and knowing that PrEP prevents HIV but not other infections.
The bottom line is that a candid conversation and a simple test protect everyone involved, and doctors have heard it all before. No lectures, no judgment, just practical steps that fit any stage of life. Have you ever had the health conversation with a new partner, and how did you bring it up?
