ARE YOU AT RISK OF GETTING AN STI?

As rates of sexually transmitted infections soar in the UK, we look at how you can protect yourself and why it's important to talk about sex

Brits might be known for their love of talking about the weather, but there's one thing that we're less enthusiastic about discussing sex. With one poll finding that men and women typically go at it 46 times a year, or once every eight days, it's no secret that we do it. But acting like we don't can cause a lot of problems, including the spread of unwanted sexually transmitted infections (STIs), due to a lack of education and discussion.

According to the UK Health Security Agency in England, in 2023 there were 401,800 reported STIs, marking a 4.7% rise on the previous year. Meanwhile, rates of STIs, including gonorrhoea and syphilis, among over-45s in England soared by almost a fifth between 2015 and 2019, jumping from 31,902 to 37,692.

"Sexually transmitted infections are extremely common worldwide.

According to recent estimates, over 1 million curable STIs are acquired every day globally among people aged 15-49. In 2020 alone, there were an estimated 374 million new infections of chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis and trichomoniasis combined," says Dr Shazia Malik, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, and UK Medical Director at Daye (yourdaye.​com).