Unprotected sex — without using a condom — is astoundingly common these days. Among teens and young adults, fully 69% report recently having unprotected sex. No wonder around half of all sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as gonorrhea and syphilis show up in teens and 20-somethings.

But older adults aren't much more careful. New information shows the incidence of STIs in adults ages 55 and older has exploded. Since 2010, there have been seven times more reported cases of gonorrhea; chlamydia rates have more than quadrupled; and in 2022, syphilis cases were nearly eight times higher.

Reasons given for unprotected encounters include not planning on having sex and not liking condoms.

Not smart. While STIs are treatable, if not always curable, they can cause serious damage. For example, chlamydia, which affects around 4 million people a year, can cause pelvic inflammatory disease in females that leads to scarring in the fallopian tubes. In males, it can trigger sore, swollen testicles.

Human papillomavurs (HPV) is another common STI and can lead to cancer of the throat, cervix, vagina, and anus. Liver-damaging hepatitis A and B and immune-system destroying HIV are also on the list.

The great news is that there are very effective vaccines for hepatitis A and B as well as HPV. In fact, the HPV vaccine for anyone age 9 to 45 provides almost 100% protection against the precancers that persistent HPV infections can cause.

For other STIs, it's smart to be tested regularly. If you have unprotected sex or multiple partners, put more joy into intimacy by being safe.