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Is it just me, or as people get older and remain single, do they think that best sexual health practices just no longer apply to them? I recall being very concerned about STDs when I was in college and during my early twenties. All of my friends were.
But as I entered my thirties, and as many of my friends entered their forties, I noticed this concern for sexual safety just seemed to… fall off. A friend will say, quite casually, with no shame, “Eh, we didn’t use a condom. It’s fine.” It is not fine!
What’s the deal? Do people think that STDs just can’t find a home in the body of someone over the age of 30? Do we assume that anyone who is still single at a certain age has already made their way through all the STDs and become immune to them? Do we think we’ve gained the power to just know when someone does or doesn’t have STDs? Because, none of that is true. At all.
And if I may say so, getting an STD in your older years is, to be honest, just more embarrassing than in your younger years. We should know better by now. Many of my friends picked up something or other that required antibiotics in their college years. We were all idiots.
But, full-grown adults with Roth IRAs and mortgage payments and kids – what are you doing? So this whole meditation on the topic got me thinking, which sexual health habits are people in their older years are they still following with no shame and with no deep reflection into the repercussions of their actions. Do you know anyone guilty of these bad habits when it comes to overall sexual health?
Failing to clean toys
Clean your toys after each and every use. Don’t just clean it after using it with a new partner and don’t just clean it after using with with someone else as opposed to just on yourself.
If body fluids get on a sex toy, it’s time to clean that bad boy, or that bacteria can fester. Just because a dildo isn’t alive doesn’t mean it can’t transfer a virus from one person to another.
When it comes to cleaning your sex toys, please follow the instructions that came with the packaging, If you can’t find those instructions, check out this useful resource for guidance.
