Earlier STD Impacts Sex Later in Life

Having had a sexually transmitted disease roughly quadruples a woman’s odds of reporting sexual pain and triples lubrication problems, U.S. researchers say.

Lead author Edward Laumann of the University of Chicago said people who had an STD earlier in life are also more likely to have had sexual experiences over their lifetimes that included more risks and multiple sex partners.

The study, published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, also found that men are more than five times as likely to report sex as non-pleasurable if they have previously had an STD.

Laumann, Aniruddha Das and Linda Waite said the study showed that women may be more likely than men to experience sexual dysfunction because of health issues. The most common problem for men is erectile dysfunction, a problem that increases with age.

The study is based on interviews with a national sample of 1,550 women and 1,455 men, ages 57 to 85, who were part of the 2005 to 2006 National Social Life, Health and Aging Project.

The study said among older women sexual dysfunction was correlated with urinary tract syndrome. Among men, mental health issues and relationship problems contribute to a lack of interest in sex. Urinary tract syndrome was associated with trouble maintaining and achieving an erection.