CondomDepot.com Signs an Exclusive Deal With Bravo Condoms

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jennifer Amato, Marketing Director
813-885-4400 x16
jennifer@condomdepot.com
June 30, 2008

CondomDepot.com brings on a new line of ultra thin condoms...Bravo Condoms. CondomDepot.com signs an exclusive deal with Bravo Condoms to sell and distribute their condoms. As a special offer to Condom Depot customers, the web site is selling a 4 Wallet Pack for $11.99. Unique and stylish in its packaging, Bravo Condoms come packaged in 'The Wallet', which contains 3 "Wicked Thin" Bravo Condoms, a Bravo Lion sticker, a Bravo-stash Baggie, and an Information Booklet. For a limited time, our customers can get 4 Wallers (a total of 12 condoms) at a great price of $11.99

Bravo condoms are extremely thin for ultra sensitivity and strength that our customers depend on. We are confident that our customers will be repeat customers of this brand for years to come.

For more information on Bravo condoms, please see the Bravo Condoms page.

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ABOUT CONDOMDEPOT.COM

CondomDepot.com is a provider of safe sex information, product reviews and safer sex products. Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, CondomDepot.com sells its products wholesale to the public through its highly visited website while offering its safe sex information free of charge. Product lines include Trojan, Durex, Lifestyles, Crown, Trustex, AstroGlide, Pjur and other hard to find brands. For more information please contact Marketing Director Jennifer Amato (813) 885-4400 xt 16 or visit the website www.condomdepot.com

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FOXSexpert: The Joys of Summer Sex

By Yvonne K. Fulbright

FoxNews.com

It's the one thing hotter than the weather these days - sultry summer sex. You can all but fan yourself (among other things) thinking about it.

But what is it about the summer season that makes us so much more aroused?

There are a number of reasons summertime awakens one's libido. Males, in particular, respond greatly to external, visual triggers, like the sudden influx of women in bikinis, sundresses, mini-skirts and halter-tops. But it's not just this full moon effect of the scantily-clad that has us all howling with desire:

- Sunlight warms the libido.

You're likelier to feel more consumed with lust when it's sunny. It's hypothesized that sunlight helps to produce a hormone, MSH, which is linked to sexual desire. Also, sunlight stimulates the pineal gland, which reduces the amount of the body's hormone melatonin, elevating our mood and awakening our sex drive.

- Everyone looks sexier.

Men are hotter than ever; their summer clothes are showing off those toned arms and firm buttocks. Women have a sun-kissed, blushed appearance - the same appearance we have right after sex. This is the time for women to strip down and flaunt their assets, like our cleavage. Finally, a tan makes our curves and muscles seem more prominent, so we sport fewer clothes. No matter what your gender, feeling better about your healthy summer self helps you to exude confidence and project energy that is infectious - and sexy!

- There’s nothing like sweaty sex.

Salty kisses, the slick sliding of body parts, and wet hair spraying droplets of water onto your lover are among the many sensations that make sweaty sex raw and uninhibited.

On a summer’s evening, in a sweltering bedroom . . . the wetter, the better!

Couples hit every inch of their bed. No position goes untried. No sheet goes unsoaked. In creating sweaty, summer sex sessions, couples forgo air conditioning and make their own rainforest in no time.

- People quit hibernating.

Many lovers hole up in winter, eating more, exercising less, and are pathetically lazier. This sluggish state can affect one's sex life, making for less action. The "let there be light" of summer takes on whole new meaning in shaking off the winter blues. As lovers soak up the sun, their spirits are lifted and their energy levels swell. They are moving more, eating lighter meals - and feeling better about their physiques. Lovers find themselves in a completely different state of mind, with sex on the brain.

- Rest and relaxation.

Couples tend to go on vacation during the summer, reaping the benefits of a romantic destination. Submerged in a new environment, they thrive off a sense of adventure that emboldens their sexual ventures. With vacation lending itself to better moods, lovers find themselves experiencing increased sexual desire and response.

Being away from their laptops and cell phones further boosts a couple's summer "sexperiences." Far from office and home demands, couples feel more relaxed. The effects of simply loosening up make for more amazing intimacy, and many couples experience a boost in the quality and quantity of sex. They also appreciate the fact that they're focusing on nothing more than their relationship and each other.

- Becoming one with nature.

Summer means hiking for a lot of couples, which invites plenty of opportunities for outdoor sex. Deep in the woods and feeling one with the Earth, lovers can shed their inhibitions and go for an animalistic shag.

- Bare, smooth skin.

With bikini season comes increased nether region maintenance. Lovers step up their grooming, shaving, plucking and waxing on a more regular basis. This invites more sensations, which can have people bearing even less.

— Skinny dipping.

Summer's red hot couple can't resist an inviting body of water. A cool dip doesn't snuff out the action, however. Between weightlessness, new maneuvers, and getting wet, couples adore water sex. Just don't forget to come up for air!

- Sex on the beach.

Whether on a private beach or tucked under a big beach towel, couples like to get fresh on the seashore. Those with exhibitionistic tendencies seem to enjoy such sex even more. The risk and danger of getting caught produces dopamine, which stimulates sexual excitement. No matter what, it doesn't hurt to have a beach umbrella handy.

Just remember, no matter what the time of year, sex, like any other exercise, can result in overheating if you exert yourself for a long period of time in a hot, humid space. If you long to make love in such an environment, avoid dehydration, by drinking plenty of fluids. Taking out-of-control action to a cool shower can help keep your motor running at a comfortable temperature as well.

In the Know Sex News . . .

-New York City to Buy Female Condoms. In an effort to curb HIV/AIDS, New York City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has allotted $2 million to make female condoms available in health clinics and organizations citywide. Health officials said they need to increase the supply due to the condoms' popularity. These condoms cost about $3 a piece, versus the male condom, which sells for $1.

- Safe Sex Programs Really Do Benefit Teens. A study from the University of Kentucky found that safer sex programming appears to nurture positive attitudes toward practices that help to avoid the acquisition of sexually transmitted diseases. Approximately 48 percent of the nearly 19 million cases of STDs that occur in the U.S. every year are among those between the ages of 14- and 24--years-old.

- Pregnancy Intention Impacts Timing of Birth. According to an article in Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, women who do not intend to get pregnant have a greater likelihood of having a preterm birth.

Dr. Yvonne Kristín Fulbright is a sex educator, relationship expert, columnist and founder of Sexuality Source Inc. She is the author of several books including, "Touch Me There! A Hands-On Guide to Your Orgasmic Hot Spots."

CondomDepot.com Continues to Spread Their Safe Sex Message with Upcoming Sponsorships in UFC 86 on July 5th

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jennifer Amato, Marketing Director
813-885-4400 x16
jennifer@condomdepot.com
June 26, 2008
www.condomdepot.com

Tampa, FL - CondomDepot.com has made its presence known amongst MMA fans for over the past year. With its numerous sponsorships for MMA fighters such as Chris "The Crippler" Leben and Ed "Short Fuse" Herman, just to name a few, CondomDepot.com has been able to utilize their sponsorships to also spread a safe sex message amongst its many millions of fans, while providing the helpful support to the fighters. CondomDepot.com will continue to show its support through their upcoming sponsorship of Tyson Griffin and Chris "Lights Out" Lytle for UFC 86 on July 5th.

Mixed Martial Arts is a sport that has grown tremendously in popularity. With the risks of STDs and other sexually transmitted diseases, Condom Depot has found an avenue through the sponsorships of these MMA fighters to increase safe sex awareness. In addition, seeing the CondomDepot.com logo displayed on the fighter's clothing will make the fans aware that there is a reliable web site available in which he or she can purchase condoms from the comfort of their own home, instead of having to walking in to a store front, which can be an uncomfortable experience for some.

UFC 86 will be broadcasted on PPV Live from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on July 5th. Tyson Griffin will be taking on Marcus "Maximus" Aurelio and Chris Lytle will be fighting against Josh Koscheck.

"We are proud to support such wonderful and talented fighters such as Tyson Griffin and Chris "Lights Out" Lytle In the past we have sponsored talented fighters including Andre "The Pitbull" Arlovski, Ed "Short Fuse" Herman, Chris "The Crippler" Leben, and Pete "Drago" Sell, Gabriel "Napão" Gonzaga, and Thiago "Pitbull" Alves. We will continue to support these hard working fighters and spread a positive safe sex message," states John Fidi, Vice President of CondomDepot.com.

ABOUT CONDOMDEPOT.COM

CondomDepot.com is a provider of safe sex information, product reviews and safer sex products. Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, CondomDepot.com sells its products wholesale to the public through its highly visited website while offering its safe sex information free of charge. Product lines include Trojan, Durex, Lifestyles, Crown, Trustex, AstroGlide, Pjur and other hard to find brands. For more information please contact Marketing Director Jennifer Amato (813) 885-4400 xt 16 or visit the website www.condomdepot.com

Unsafe Sex In The City: Fewer People Using Condoms

By: Kate Sullivan
wcbstv.com

NEW YORK (CBS) - A new study shows more and more New Yorkers are putting themselves at risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases because fewer people are using condoms.

Public service announcements have been a part of the New York City health department's campaign to get more people to use condoms. Although the department has distributed some 48 million condoms since last year, officials say not enough New Yorkers are heeding the warnings.

The department surveyed 10,000 adults in the five boroughs, and found that many are putting themselves at risk by having unsafe sex.

Forty percent of all New Yorkers engaged in sex without a condom with multiple partners.

In a year that has seen sex scandals involving top local politicians, the survey also addresses the issue of cheating. Five percent of New Yorkers admitted to having sex outside their relationship.

Men are three times more likely than women to report multiple partners.

In 2006, more than half of all New York City pregnancies were unplanned and more than 60,000 new cases of STD's were reported.

For today's seniors, it's never too late for sex education

HOW TO BE ACTIVE, STAY SAFE?

By Vianna Davila
Mercury News

Like any sex education seminar, this one covered the familiar topics: how to use a condom, how to protect against sexually transmitted disease. But some of the questions - How will Viagra affect my heart medication? Where does an 82-year-old man meet women? - signaled that the needs of this particular group were, perhaps, a little different.

News flash: Older people are having sex, and increasingly open about wanting to enjoy it. But with pleasure comes complications. Today's seniors are learning they are vulnerable to STDs and HIV; this week, Stanford and Veterans Affairs researchers released a study demonstrating the cost-effectiveness of HIV/AIDS testing for adults age 75 and up.

Add disease to the list of other challenges - learning how to work with an aging body, navigating a romantic realm that now includes online dating and sex toys - and suddenly it's a whole new world for seniors.

"I think as seniors get older, they need a lot more information," said Larry Saltman, 73, of San Jose, "because we're not dead yet."

Saltman was among the seniors who attended a "Sexuality and Aging" seminar sponsored by the San Jose Office on Aging. Today, representatives will discuss offering similar talks at all the city's senior centers.

Already, signs suggest the sessions will be popular. Pfizer claims Viagra has helped 25 million men. Baby boomers, the same folks who led the sexual revolution in the 1960s, now are becoming senior citizens.

After marching for sex, "They're thinking, 'Wait a minute, maybe I still deserve to have some,' " said Bryna Barsky-Ex, a psychologist and sex therapist with Kaiser Permanente Santa Teresa, who has counseled couples in their late 90s about how to enjoy their sexuality.

Different times

But generations like Saltman's did not grow up with the same comprehensive sex education offered today in most schools; these men and women were at least in their 40s and 50s when AIDS appeared on the scene.

In 2005, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 15 percent of new HIV cases in the United States were among people over 50.

Saltman, who sits on the San Jose Senior Citizens Commission, suggested a sexuality session after he and his wife, Linda, saw a program about the rising rates of STDs and HIV in older adults.

Last week's program, led by Barsky-Ex, was a reminder that seniors can have fun but also need to protect themselves, he said.

"Sexuality is not just for the young or the pretty or for penises working perfectly," Barsky-Ex said. "It's for everybody."

Saltman still speaks in the accent of his native Boston, where he said it was a "no-no to talk about anything like this" when he was young.

But the conversations are becoming easier. Nearly 40 people - some with canes and ranging from 60 to 90 years old - attended the seminar.

"Sometimes it was really quiet, like, 'Ooh,' " said Linda Saltman, 69, describing the session, which covered everything from lubrication to vibrators. "And then, when it was over, everybody was smiling."

But the topic can make some a little antsy.

"To be honest with you, this is the first time I've even given it thought," said Nasario Gutierrez, a gerontology specialist with Gardner Senior Center.

Uncomfortable topic

Dr. Susan Kegeles, co-director for the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies at the University of California-San Francisco, said people are often uncomfortable talking about sexuality; discussing the sexual proclivities of the elderly is even harder.

While the prevalence of sexual activity decreases with age, men and women still have sex well into their 80s and 90s, according to a study last year in the New England Journal of Medicine.

But as more people divorce now, the chance of contracting diseases through multiple partners increases.

Jane Fowler's HIV-positive diagnosis at age 55 came as a shock. The few times she had sex after her marriage ended, condoms seemed unnecessary; she thought of them only as contraception.

"There is this denial among older people that this can happen to them," said Fowler, now 73 and the founder of HIV Wisdom for Older Women, based in Kansas City, Kan.

In Santa Clara County, people over 60 make up only 1.2 percent of the total number of HIV or AIDS patients. Those 50 to 59 years old make up 8.8 percent of the county's HIV/AIDS population, said Joy Alexiou, county public health department spokeswoman.

Experts said sex education is key to ensuring the percentages stay down. Just as important: learning that sex is about more than intercourse.

"Seniors need companionship," Saltman said. "Even if it's just touch, feel, the idea that somebody gives a hoot."

"It's part of life," said his wife, Linda. "Why keep it a secret?"

'Pro-Life' Drugstores Market Beliefs

No Contraceptives For Chantilly Shop

By Rob Stein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, June 16, 2008; A01

When DMC Pharmacy opens this summer on Route 50 in Chantilly, the shelves will be stocked with allergy remedies, pain relievers, antiseptic ointments and almost everything else sold in any drugstore. But anyone who wants condoms, birth control pills or the Plan B emergency contraceptive will be turned away.

That's because the drugstore, located in a typical shopping plaza featuring a Ruby Tuesday, a Papa John's and a KMart, will be a "pro-life pharmacy" -- meaning, among other things, that it will eschew all contraceptives.

The pharmacy is one of a small but growing number of drugstores around the country that have become the latest front in a conflict pitting patients' rights against those of health-care workers who assert a "right of conscience" to refuse to provide care or products that they find objectionable.

"The United States was founded on the idea that people act on their conscience -- that they have a sense of right and wrong and do what they think is right and moral," said Tom Brejcha, president and chief counsel at the Thomas More Society, a Chicago public-interest law firm that is defending a pharmacist who was fined and reprimanded for refusing to fill prescriptions for birth control pills. "Every pharmacist has the right to do the same thing," Brejcha said.

But critics say the stores could create dangerous obstacles for women seeking legal, safe and widely used birth control methods.

"I'm very, very troubled by this," said Marcia Greenberger of the National Women's Law Center, a Washington advocacy group. "Contraception is essential for women's health. A pharmacy like this is walling off an essential part of health care. That could endanger women's health."

The pharmacies are emerging at a time when a variety of health-care workers are refusing to perform medical procedures they find objectionable. Fertility doctors have refused to inseminate gay women. Ambulance drivers have refused to transport patients for abortions. Anesthesiologists have refused to assist in sterilizations.

The most common, widely publicized conflicts have involved pharmacists who refuse to fill prescriptions for birth control pills, morning-after pills and other forms of contraception. They say they believe that such methods can cause what amounts to an abortion and that the contraceptives promote promiscuity, divorce, the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and other societal woes. The result has been confrontations that have left women traumatized and resulted in pharmacists being fired, fined or reprimanded.

In response, some pharmacists have stopped carrying the products or have opened pharmacies that do not stock any.

"This allows a pharmacist who does not wish to be involved in stopping a human life in any way to practice in a way that feels comfortable," said Karen Brauer, president of Pharmacists for Life International, which promotes a pharmacist's right to refuse to fill such prescriptions. The group's Web Site lists seven pharmacies around the country that have signed a pledge to follow "pro-life" guidelines, but Brauer said there are many others.

"It's just the tip of the iceberg," she said. "And there's new ones happening all the time."

Some pro-life pharmacies are identical to typical drugstores except that they do not stock some or all forms of contraception. Others also refuse to sell tobacco, rolling papers or pornography. Many offer "alternative" products, including individually compounded prescription drugs, as well as vitamins and homeopathic and herbal remedies.

"We try to practice pharmacy in a way that we feel is best to help our community and promote healthy lifestyles," said Lloyd Duplantis, who owns Lloyd's Remedies in Gray, La., and is a deacon in his Catholic church. "After researching the science behind steroidal contraceptives, I decided they could hurt the woman and possibly hurt her unborn child. I decided to opt out."

Some critics question how such pharmacies justify carrying drugs, such as Viagara, for male reproductive issues, but not those for women.

"Why do you care about the sexual health of men but not women?" asked Anita L. Nelson, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "If he gets his Viagra, why can't she get her contraception?"

The DMC Pharmacy opening in August marks an expansion by Divine Mercy Care in Fairfax, a nonprofit health-care organization that adheres to the teachings of the Catholic Church. The group runs the Tepeyac Family center, an obstetrics-gynecology practice in Fairfax that offers "natural family planning" instead of contraceptives, sterilization or abortion.

"We're trying not to leave our faith at the door," said John Bruchalski, who chairs the group's board of directors, noting that one of the organization's major goals is helping needy, uninsured patients obtain health care. "We're trying to create an environment where belief and professionalism come together."

Like the doctors, nurses and other staff members at Tepeyac, Robert Semler, the pharmacist who will run DMC Pharmacy, plans to start each workday with a prayer with his staff, which at first will just be his wife, Pam, a nurse.

"Being a faith-based workplace, it's a logical thing to do," Semler said.

Bioethicists disagree about the pharmacies. Some argue that they are consistent with national values that accommodate a spectrum of beliefs.

"In general, I think product differentiation expressive of differing values is a very good thing for a free, pluralistic society," said Loren E. Lomasky, a bioethicist at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. "If we can have 20 different brands of toothpaste, why not a few different conceptions of how pharmacies ought to operate?"

Others maintain that pharmacists, like other professionals, have a responsibility to put their patients' needs ahead of their personal beliefs.

"If you are a health-care professional, you are bound by professional obligations,"said Nancy Berlinger, deputy director of the Hastings Center, a bioethics think tank in Garrison, N.Y. "You can't say you won't do part of that profession."

California, New Jersey, Illinois and Washington state recently began requiring pharmacies to fill all prescriptions or help women fill them elsewhere, and at least another 10 states are considering such requirements. But some states exempt pharmacies that do not generally stock contraceptives, and it is unclear how other existing rules and laws and those being considered would apply to those pharmacies.

"These are uncharted waters, since the issue of so-called pro-life pharmacies are so new," said Elizabeth Nash, a public policy associate at the Guttmacher Institute, a private, nonprofit organization that researches reproductive issues.

Virginia does not have any laws or regulations that would prohibit a pro-life pharmacy, and is not considering adopting any, according to the Virginia Board of Pharmacy.

Critics also worry that women might unsuspectingly seek contraceptives at such a store and be humiliated, or that women needing the morning-after pill, which is most effective when used quickly, may waste precious time.

"Rape victims could end up in a pharmacy not understanding this pharmacy will not meet their needs," Greenberger said. "We've seen an alarming development of pharmacists over the last several years refusing to fill prescriptions, and sometimes even taking the prescription from the woman and refusing to give it back to her so she can fill it in another pharmacy."

Pharmacists at eight pro-life drugstores contacted by The Washington Post said they would not actively interfere with a woman trying to fill a prescription elsewhere, but none posts signs announcing restrictions or offers to help women get what they need elsewhere.

"If I don't believe something is right, the last thing I want to do is refer to someone else," said Michael G. Koelzer, who owns Kay Pharmacy in Grand Rapids, Mich. "It's up to that person to be able to find it."

Semler, at DMC Pharmacy, said he does not feel that will be an impediment.

"We just say there are other pharmacies in the area they can go to," he said, noting that the Kmart across the parking lot has a pharmacy and that there are several other national chains nearby. "We're not threatening anybody. We're just trying to serve a niche market of like-minded individuals."

But others worry about what will happen if such pharmacies proliferate, especially in rural areas.

"We may find ourselves with whole regions of the country where virtually every pharmacy follows these limiting, discriminatory policies and women are unable to access legal, physician-prescribed medications," said R. Alta Charo, a University of Wisconsin lawyer and bioethicist. "We're talking about creating a separate universe of pharmacies that puts women at a disadvantage."

Condom message gets stronger as disease rates rise

Jennifer Parks, Canwest News Service, canada.com

EDMONTON - Today's teens and 20-somethings grew up with safer-sex slogans and celebrity-endorsed condom campaigns. They learned from parents, teachers, government and the media, the grim realities of HIV, AIDS and sexually transmitted infections.

Their after-school TV specials dispensed the "no glove, no love" moral, and hip anti-STI messages still reach them on-the-go via cellphone or the Internet.

There's no doubt young people can talk the talk about safer sex, but are they walking the walk?

"Knowing all about safe sex doesn't mean we're practicing it," says Susie Ross, a Yukon-based sexual health advocate who thinks we need new strategies to get an old message across about condom use.

By the age of 15, many of today's young people already have had sex, and despite access to information about contraception, the rate of condom use among youth aged 15 to 24 has declined over the last decade, according to the 2007 Baseline Study on Sexual Health in Canada.

With STIs on the rise, Ross wonders what it will take to reverse a troubling trend.

"Information isn't enough to change people's behaviour. You have to start a conversation, create a comfort level. Meet people where they are. We still haven't normalized condom use," says Ross, who will discuss how creative condom campaigns in the Yukon have gotten people talking, at the Guelph Sexuality Conference, next month.

School and parents are still youths' main source for sexual health information, explains Ross. But our increasingly in-your-face media-based culture has extreme power to shape people's attitudes and behaviour, she says.

The Yukon government launched a safer-sex campaign in 2004 in which they distributed matchbook-style condom wrappers with holiday themes and hip, fun messages like "Wrap it up for someone you love" for Christmas, and ""Feeling Lucky? Don't count on luck," for St. Patrick's Day.

"They were edgy and got people talking. They're still talking," says Ross, noting groups and organizations have continued ordering the custom condoms. "Youth are happy to take them because they don't look like a condom. And this way they've got them, so in the moment of passion, they'll be more likely to use them."

Their health unit also designed a series of sports-themed condom wrappers for the last Canada Winter Games that were so popular, the athletes traded them and tried to collect all six, says Ross.

"Trading pins is so passe. Now, we're trading condoms."

Canada's STI rates have steadily risen since 1997; Alberta's gonorrhea and chlamydia rates are higher than national rates, and those most affected are youth under 25, especially women, says the baseline study.

"Just saying 'Wear a condom' isn't good enough anymore. That's old hat," says Barbara Anderson of Capital Health in Edmonton (capitalhealth.ca).

"You need to teach skills in using condoms, provide free access, and talk about the things that get in the way of safer sex."

"Condom fatigue" is responsible for the decline in condom use among young people, as well as for the current STI spike, says Carol Carrozza, vice-president of marketing for Lifestyles condoms.

"Gen X and Y were brought up with the condom vernacular. They know they need to use it, but they're not experiencing the full message," says Carrozza, who is in the midst of promoting Lifestyles' condom-dispensing Make-out Booth, which is making its way through bars and nightclubs across the U.S.

"The idea is to reach people where they're partying and hooking up. The booth takes your picture like the old-style photo booths, and dispenses free condoms," says Carrozza.

"Twenty years ago, the idea never would have flown. In the late '80s or early '90s we had to take down posters just because they contained the word 'condom.' Today's message has to be abrupt, in-your-face and relevant to young people's lives."

Planned Parenthood Edmonton puts out custom condom carriers. The case comes with two condoms and a "tube of lube" to "increase the chances of having protected sex."

At HIV Edmonton, anyone can buy a box of 144 condoms at the discounted price of $21.50. The organization uses peer-based education to reach high school students with a broader message than in the past.

"The focus is not just on safe sex, but on complete healthy sexuality," says HIV Edmonton executive director Debra Jakubec. "People still find it hard to talk about sex, so if we can get them more comfortable, it's easier to move forward."

You're never too old to get an STD

By Judy Rupp, commentary, enidnews.com

Maria was offended when her daughter started to lecture her about safe sex. At age 78, she had been a widow for 11 years, and her relationship with Edward was filling an important need in her life.

"We are not going to get married," she told her daughter, "because that would complicate matters with our property and our children. And I'm too old to get pregnant. So what is it that you're so worried about?"

"STDs," her daughter answered. "Sexually transmitted diseases."

An AARP survey in 2007 found 85 percent of Americans 65 and older had some kind of intimate experience at least once a week; less than 5 percent considered themselves "too old" for sex. And sexually transmitted diseases are spreading rather rapidly among the senior set. According to Centers for Disease Control, at least 10 percent of new AIDS cases every year occur among persons age 50 and older.

One reason for the change in attitude among seniors regarding sex - if there has indeed been a change - may be the introduction of erectile dysfunction (ED) drugs Viagra, Cialis and Levitra. ED affects at least 25 percent of males by age 65, and that percentage increases with each passing year.

For many of the erectile problems facing older males, these drugs have a high rate of effectiveness. But they do not protect against sexually transmitted diseases.

Unlike the younger generations, most older Americans did not have the benefit of sex education in school. And after several decades of a monogamous relationship, they may not have bothered to inform themselves about STDs. One survey found 47 percent of women older than 50 knew little or nothing about AIDS.

The most reliable protection against STDs is the use of condoms. Women past child-bearing age do not think readily of condoms. And even with the help of Viagra, many older men may find them tricky to use effectively.

AIDS: There are more than 20 sexually transmitted diseases, and, while many of them can be cured easily with antibiotics, they often go undetected. And nearly all of them increase the risk of AIDS.

With a weakened immune system and thinning of vaginal walls, an older person may be more vulnerable than a younger person to HIV, and early symptoms are sometimes difficult to distinguish from changes associated with aging or with chronic medical conditions. Dementia, ordinarily a very late symptom of AIDS, is the presenting symptom for as many as 10 percent of cases in persons older than 60.

In addition to ignorance, seniors are hampered often by denial. A married man who is having extramarital gay sex or sex with a prostitute is not going to want to admit it to his family or even to his doctor. A widowed or divorced male who is dating regularly likewise may be reluctant to admit he is having sex with multiple partners.

Major risk factors for STDs, in addition to failure to use condoms, are: 1) sex with multiple partners and 2) sex with someone who is having sex with multiple partners. Both of these scenarios are becoming increasingly common among seniors in the community and even those in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. As Maria’s daughter reminded her, the rules of safe sex - including mutual monogamy - hold regardless of age.

SYPHILIS: Once the most feared of STDs, syphilis still is around and still highly contagious, although treatable with antibiotics. Left untreated, syphilis can lead to severe neurophysical impairments such as complete or partial paralysis, progressive dementia, blindness or deafness.

GONORRHEA, CHLAMYDIA: Gonorrhea often is detected by painful urination or discharge from the penis or vagina. More than a million infections occur each year in the United States, and about 60 percent of patients with gonorrhea also have a chlamydia infection. Chlamydia, the most commonly reported STD in the United States, can increase the risk of sterility, pelvic inflammatory disease and ovarian cancer as well as HIV.

HERPES: About 45 million Americans are infected with a herpes virus. Herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1) usually causes cold sores and fever blisters around the mouth. Herpes simplex type 2 ((HSV-2), is genital herpes.

It once was believed HSV-1 was transmitted primarily above the waist. A recent study found women who received oral sex were nine times more likely than abstinent women to become infected with HSV-1. Vaginal sex increased the risk six-fold. The study could not prove kissing was not the means of transmission.

HPV or human papillomavirus can be spread by intimate skin-to-skin contact that does not necessarily include sexual intercourse. That’s a type of intimacy probably relatively common among older adults. And it is not necessarily prevented by use of condoms.

Although usually manifested in genital or anal warts, HPV often exists with no symptoms or with warts that disappear after a few years. As a result, many individuals are infected without knowing it. On the other hand, only a few of the many strains of warts that can occur in the genital region or elsewhere on the skin are precursors of cervical cancer.

The important thing for health care professionals and adult children to keep in mind is sex is a drive that does not stop at a certain age, at least for most adults. Nor should it stop. Sexual intimacy provides pleasure and a sense of self fulfillment; and research has found regular sex helps prolong life.

Whatever message Maria gave to her daughter years ago, the message her daughter is giving back today is not abstinence but "keep yourself safe."

Teens Having More Sex and Using Fewer Condoms, U.S. Study Says

June 4 (Bloomberg) -- Teenagers are having more sex than they were in 2001 and condom use declined after the U.S. government increased spending to promote sexual abstinence.

The percentage of teens who said they had sex rose to 47.8 percent last year from 45.6 percent in 2001, according to data released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Condom use fell from 63 percent in 2003 to 61.5 percent in 2007, the survey of high school students found.

The Bush administration has more than doubled grants for abstinence programs since 1999 to a proposed $191 million in next year's budget. The programs limit discussions of contraceptives and advocate that teens avoid sex. The CDC study didn't attempt to explain why teen sex isn't declining and condom use isn't rising, as they were during the 1990s.

``We are concerned about what appears to be a flatting-out of sexual risk behaviors,'' said Howell Wechsler, director of CDC's division of adolescent and school health, in a conference call with reporters today.

Kenneth Wolfe, a spokesman for the government's Administration for Children and Families, said he had no immediate comment on the study.

The CDC study also found that Hispanic teenagers more often engaged in risky behavior than black or white teenagers. Hispanic teens were more likely to commit suicide or abuse intravenous drugs than their peers, the study said. More than 1 in 10 Hispanics said they had made a suicide plan in the last 12 months and about 7 percent attempted suicide.

`Do Something'

``That is alarming and unacceptable and we need to do something now,'' said Glenn Flores, professor of pediatrics and public health at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

Hispanic teens' feelings of depression and hopelessness could come from difficulty integrating with American culture and economic strains on many immigrant families, Flores said.

The CDC has surveyed teenagers every two years since 1991. The 2007 results showed fewer teens engaged in risky behavior including sex, drinking and smoking cigarettes when compared with data from 10 to 16 years ago. The upswing in sex began in 2001 and the reduction in condom use began in 2003, the study said.

SOURCE: Shannon Pettypiece, bloomberg.com

The Real Deal on STDs - Raw Data

Random facts and figures.
* One out of 4 women and one out of 5 men have no knowledge about their sexual partners' history.
* Two-thirds of 1,000 women age 18 to 60 knew nothing or very little about STDs (other than HIV/AIDS) in 1995.
* The highest at-risk groups are adolescents and gays. African American and Hispanic women are also in the high-risk group.
* The rate of unwanted pregnancies and incidence of disease is alarming.
* There are over 15,000,000 new cases of STDs a year.
* Over 70,000 Americans have a viral STD--like genital herpes, HIV/AIDS, or Hepatitis B.
* Individuals under 25 have two-thirds of the STD cases in the U.S.
* 1 out of 4 teens will contract an STD.
* 1,000,000 teenage pregnancies each year.

Rates of curable STD cases in the U.S. are the highest in the developed world.

* There are 150 STD cases per 100,000 in the U.S. versus 3 cases per 100,000 in Sweden.
* Over 70,000 Americans have viral STD--like genital herpes, HIV/AIDS, or hepatitis B.
* Viral STDs such as HPV, herpes, and hepatitis B are lifelong diseases.
* Many people experience no noticeable symptoms initially, but can still pass on the disease.
* Women are up to 5 times more likely to become infected and suffer more serious consequences.

Over 20,000 new cases of HIV/AIDS are diagnosed each year in the U.S.

* 62% of those cases reported before 1996 have died (319,000 Americans).
* Women now represent 30% of new HIV/AIDS cases reported.
* 75% of the cases are from heterosexual sex.
* 3 out of 5 Americans with HIV were infected as teens.
* HIV infection rates are 10 times higher when STDs are not treated properly.

Sexual habits reinforce the need to use condoms.

* Age of sexual maturity is decreasing; age of marriage is increasing.
* More sex, more partners, more risk.
* 46% of teens (14-18) have had intercourse.
* 50% divorce rate means reentering the dating scene to deal with new health challenges.


Sources: American Social Health Association, CDC, Kaiser Foundation.