Menopause increases your risk of sexually transmitted diseases because your body changes as you age.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have gotten increasingly common amongst older adults. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports the number of individuals over 65 who’ve been diagnosed with chlamydia, gonorrhea, or syphilis within the United States. increased by three, five and 7 timesfrom 2010 to 2023. Data also suggest that girls over 50 higher HIV risk than younger ladies.

Explanations why These infections are so common amongst older adults due to low awareness of sexually transmitted diseases on this age group, infrequent condom use, and increased availability of medicines for conditions that typically limit sexual intercourse in older adults, comparable to Viagra and Cialis for erectile dysfunction and estrogen creams and tablets for vaginal dryness. Many older adults are reluctant to debate their sexual history with their partners and health care providers, resulting in misconceptions that they monogamous or sexually inactive.

In my work as Infectious disease scientistI’m investigating the largely unexplored biological the reason why women are more at risk of sexually transmitted diseases after menopause. My recently published research shows that menopause is related to Loss of the protective barrier of the genital tracta very important defense against the microbial pathogens that cause sexually transmitted diseases.

Menopause: A natural a part of aging

Menopause is the period in a lady's life when there isn’t any menstrual bleeding for 12 months. In the United States, menopause begins on average between 45 and 55 years. It is estimated that By 2030, 1.2 billion women worldwide will shall be in menopause or postmenopause.

Menopause is the results of a decline in estrogen production within the ovaries, which may reduce vaginal moisture and the elasticity of the vaginal tissue. This can result in a condition called Genital and urinary incontinence syndrome of menopause or GSMwhich causes symptoms comparable to vaginal dryness and irritation, painful intercourse and frequent urinary tract infections. About half of all postmenopausal women suffer from GSM.

In addition to those negative effects on vaginal health, research in my laboratory has shown that menopause also compromises structural integrity of the tissue that lines the vagina. The surface of the vagina is made up of several layers of epithelial cells held together by quite a few adhesion molecules, including the proteins desmoglein-1 or DSG1 and desmocollin-1 or DSC1. These proteins strengthen the vaginal mucosa and stop pathogens from penetrating deeper tissues, reducing the danger of infection.

To investigate how menopause affects the vaginal mucosa, Comparison of DSG1 and DSC1 levels in vaginal tissue of postmenopausal and premenopausal women. We found significantly lower DSG1 and DSC1 levels in postmenopausal women.

We then surgically removed the ovaries of mice to model the lack of ovarian estrogen production in postmenopausal women. We also detected significantly less DSG1 and DSC1 proteins within the vaginal tissue of mice without ovaries than in mice with intact ovaries.

Mice without ovaries also had greater susceptibility to infections infected with herpes simplex virus type 2 or HSV-2 and were less in a position to fight the chlamydia infection within the lower genital tract. On the opposite hand, the appliance of an estrogen cream to mice without ovaries restored the integrity of their vaginal mucosa and completely protected these mice from HSV-2 infection.

Too essential to disregard

A comprehensive understanding of the behavioral and biological risk aspects that contribute to STI susceptibility can assist physicians and public health officials manage the alarming rise in STI cases amongst older adults.

Taken together, our studies show that the vaginal mucosa loses integrity after menopause. Although more research is required, our laboratory's findings suggest that estrogen-containing compounds used to alleviate vaginal irritation and other symptoms of menopausal genitourinary syndrome might also reduce susceptibility to sexually transmitted diseases in older adults.

In the meantime, healthcare providers can assist reduce the danger of sexually transmitted disease in older adults by consistently counseling them on safer sex practices and offering them regular STI screenings.