Sexual health guide
Safer Sex Over 50: Five Habits for Casual Dates
A short checklist, where to get tested and what to ask a new partner.
The NHS says many STIs cause no symptoms, calls a condom used every time the best protection against HIV and other STIs and points people with new partners to a sexual health clinic. UKHSA recorded 3,608 new STI diagnoses at sexual health services in England among people aged 65 and over in 2025, up from 2,104 in 2016.
Five Habits to Run Through Before a Casual Date
Nobody wants a lecture mid-flirt, so here is the short version.
- Someone new. The NHS says many STIs have no symptoms and points people having sex with new partners to a sexual health clinic.
- Condom use. For you and your partner, the NHS calls a condom used every time the best protection against HIV and other STIs.
- Lubricant. With latex condoms, the NHS says to use water-based or silicone-based lubricant, not oil-based.
- Oral sex. The National Institute on Aging advises a dental dam or other barrier.
- A split condom. The NHS says to get help if one splits or comes off, as emergency contraception or an STI test may be needed.
Meeting through the site? Read how to meet someone from a dating site safely and check the safety page.
STI and STD testing
Where to Get an STI Test Over 50
UKHSA’s tables for England record 34,428 new STI diagnoses in 2025 among people aged 45 to 64, up from 28,717 in 2016 and about level with 2024, while the all-ages total fell 8.3% in 2025. The same UKHSA tables show new gonorrhoea diagnoses in England among people aged 45 to 64 rising from 3,412 in 2016 to 8,342 in 2025, more than double. These are diagnoses made at sexual health services, not a count of every infection.
UKHSA’s HIV tables for England record 2,773 new diagnoses in 2024; 487 were at ages 50 to 64 and 118 at 65 and over, together just over one in five.
England: NHS clinics
The NHS says its sexual health clinics cost nothing and are open to everyone, whatever their age. They offer STI tests, treatment and HIV testing, usually without a GP referral or appointment, though calling first helps.
United States: CDC GetTested
The CDC says its GetTested finder points to many clinics that offer confidential testing at no or low cost. The CDC’s testing page (updated March 2026) advises everyone aged 13 to 64 to get an HIV test at least once; the National Institute on Aging’s HIV page (reviewed September 2021) says people over 64 at risk should talk to their doctor.
Australia: healthdirect
healthdirect’s service finder lists sexual health clinics. One listing, for a single service, says no fee and appointment needed, with a GP referral that may be required but is not essential for most services; another, for a single centre, offers confidential testing to priority groups and may refer others to a GP or another service. Details may vary, so call first.
How to Ask a New Partner Without Killing the Mood
Ask when they were last tested
Offer yours first; it keeps the question fair.
Say what you use
Age UK says to use a condom or dental dam every time with a new partner. Make it a plan: “I use condoms with anyone new.”
Say who else is in the picture
Tell them if you are seeing others, and ask the same. It is information, not judgement.
Agree to keep sharing results
The CDC advises testing regularly and sharing results, so agree how to pass them on.
Typing it first can feel easier than saying it across a table. See senior chat.
Questions Worth Taking to a Clinic
- Which tests do I need?
- Does that include HIV?
- When do I get results?
- Will my GP be told?
- Do I have to give my name?
- What if a condom splits?
Condoms Still Matter Once Pregnancy Is Off the Table
Without the risk of pregnancy, the Menopause Society says, it is “easy to let protected sex slide.”
The Menopause Society says unprotected sex is a risk for anyone without one steady, exclusive partner, and that after menopause women are “especially vulnerable” because fragile tissue can let viruses in.
The NHS says pregnancy stays possible during perimenopause, and people aged 50 or over need contraception for 1 year after their final period. For dryness, see menopause and sex drive; for the wider picture, sex after 60.
Sources and Dates
General information, not medical advice: for questions about your own health, your GP or a sexual health clinic is the place to start.
- UKHSA: STI tables for England, 2025 data (2 June 2026); HIV tables, 2024 data (7 October 2025).
- CDC: prevention page (updated 9 April 2024), testing page (updated 17 March 2026) and GetTested finder (no date shown, read 19 October 2026).
- NHS, last-reviewed dates: STIs 13 May 2024, clinic finder 31 July 2024, condoms 26 January 2024, menopause symptoms 19 May 2026.
- National Institute on Aging, last-reviewed dates: sexuality in older adults (18 April 2022); HIV and older adults (1 September 2021).
- Age UK: sexual health (10 February 2026). Menopause Society: sexual health (no date shown). healthdirect: two clinic listings, read 19 October 2026.
Safer Sex Questions, Answered
Can people over 50 get STDs?
Yes. The National Institute on Aging says age gives no protection from STIs, also called STDs, and older people can get syphilis, gonorrhoea, chlamydia and HIV. The NHS adds that many show no symptoms, so ask a sexual health clinic or your GP about a test.
Where can I get an STI test?
Ask a sexual health clinic or your GP about testing. The NHS says English clinics are open to everyone and usually need no referral, but call first. Age UK adds that at-home kits exist; the CDC’s GetTested finder and healthdirect list services in the United States and Australia.
Will my GP find out if I use a sexual health clinic?
In England, the NHS says the clinic does not tell your GP unless you ask it to, and you do not have to give your real name. Clinics are open to everyone, whatever their age.