A study has shed light on how the number of sexual partners British people have changes as they age, and new findings have surprised researchers.
While the frequency of sexual partners among heterosexual people declines steadily from age 40, the study found stark gender disparities within some age groups.
Researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA), in collaboration with King’s College London and University College London, questioned more than 5,000 people aged 18 and older.
Women consistently reported having one sexual partner until the age of 50, after which there was a sharp decrease in the number of individuals reporting recent partners. This trend continued with age, with 79% of heterosexual women aged 70 and above saying they had no male partners in the last three weeks.
As men got older, they were also increasingly likely to report no recent partners, but the decline was less steep. Among men aged 70 and above who were heterosexual or had sex with women in the last three months, 50% said they hadn’t had a female partner in the most recent three weeks.
It is well established that sexual habits vary hugely throughout people’s lives. “Many, often interrelated, factors influence what people do, with whom, and how often,” said Prof Cath Mercer, a sexual health researcher at University College London.
The study explored the relationship between age and sex partner counts during the mpox outbreak in the UK. Researchers sought to better understand how sexual behaviours change with age, so that mathematical models of sexually transmitted infections can be made more accurate for future epidemics.
“People of all ages and sexualities can have different sex lives. We need to make sure that this is reflected when modelling what can happen in a public health context and when we’re planning healthcare services” said Prof Henry Potts, a health informatics researcher at UCL and co-author.
This research on sexual habits and age helps public health bodies tailor safe sex messages to the right demographics through different media channels that best reach these subgroups.
Mathematical models of disease transmission shouldn’t assume that having multiple partners just stops happening at a strict age threshold or that young people are necessarily most at risk. “Public health campaigns need to be evidence- rather than assumption-based to ensure that those who most need sexual health care can – and do – receive this,” added Mercer.
