Sexual health is a state of physical, mental and social well-being in relation to sexuality (WHO 2019a). Measures of sexual health include the prevalence of sexual difficulties and sexually transmissible infection rates.
Sexually transmitted infections
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a subset of communicable diseases known to be transmitted through sexual contact. More than 30 different viruses, bacteria and parasites are known to be transmitted sexually (WHO 2019b). While some STIs can be cured, a person can have an STI without symptoms of disease. If left untreated, these infections can have serious consequences for long-term health.
In Australia, data about new cases of STIs are collected through notifiable disease monitoring systems. Data about common infections are routinely published in annual surveillance reports, including chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV (Kirby Institute 2018).
84,436
new cases of selected notifiable STIs were reported for Australian males in 2017
In 2017, males accounted for more than half (56%) of all new STI cases (Kirby Institute 2018).
Table 3: Number, proportion and rate of sexually transmitted infection notifications, males, 2017–18
|
STI
|
Number of notifications
|
Per cent of total cases(a)
|
Rate per 100,000
|
Age group with highest rate
|
|
Chlamydia
|
48,335
|
48%
|
395
|
20–24
|
|
Gonorrhoea
|
21,010
|
74%
|
174
|
25–29
|
|
Hepatitis C
|
7,256
|
70%
|
60
|
25–29
|
|
Infectious Syphilis
|
3,733
|
85%
|
31
|
25–29
|
|
Hepatitis B
|
3,256
|
53%
|
27
|
30–39
|
|
HIV
|
846
|
88%
|
7.1
|
30–39
|
(a) Total excludes cases where sex was missing
Chart: AIHW. Source: Kirby Institute, 2018.
Notification rates for viral hepatitis and HIV have remained stable over time in males. However, there has been an increase in rates of chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis notifications. Compared with 2008, rates of these infections in 2017 for males were:
- 4 times as high for gonorrhoea
- 3 times as high for syphilis
- almost twice as high for chlamydia.
Chart: AIHW. Source: Kirby Institute 2018. See Table S13.
For more information, see HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmissible infections in Australia: Annual surveillance report 2018 (Kirby Institute, 2018).
Sexual difficulties
More than 1 in 2
Australian men have experienced at least 1 sexual difficulty in the last 12 months
According to self-reported data, more than half (54%) of men aged 18–55 had experienced some sexual difficulty lasting at least 3 months in the last 12 months. Of these men (Schlichthorst et al. 2016):
- around 2 in 5 (37%) reported ‘reaching climax too quickly’
- around 1 in 5 (17%) ‘lacked interest in having sex’.
‘Reaching climax too quickly’ was the most common issue across all age groups (between 32% and 39%).
Other types of sexual difficulty differed by age:
- ‘did not reach climax or took a long time’ was the next most common issue in men aged 18–24
- ‘lacking interest in having sex’ was most common among men of other age groups (25–34, 35–44 and 45–55).
Table 4: Type of sexual difficulty experienced by men aged 18–55 who experienced at least 1 sexual difficulty(a) in the past 12 months, 2013–14
|
Type of sexual difficulty (SD)
|
Total yes (%)
|
95% CI
|
|
At least one SD over the past 12 months
|
54.2
|
53.3–55.1
|
|
Reached climax too quickly
|
37.2
|
36.4–38.1
|
|
Lacked interest in having sex
|
17.3
|
16.6–17.9
|
|
Did not reach climax or took a long time
|
15.0
|
14.3–15.6
|
|
Had trouble getting or keeping an erection
|
13.7
|
13.1–14.3
|
|
Felt anxious during sex
|
10.9
|
10.4–11.5
|
|
Lacked enjoyment in sex
|
10.1
|
9.6–10.6
|
|
Felt no excitement or arousal during sex
|
6.0
|
5.5–6.4
|
|
Felt physical pain as a result of sex
|
3.7
|
3.4–4.0
|
(a) Sexual difficulty experienced for at least three months in the 12 months before the study.
Note: 95% CI = 95% confidence interval. We can be 95% confident that the true value is within this confidence interval.
Chart: AIHW.
Source: Schlichthorst et al. 2016.
For more information on male sexual health, see Healthy Male Australia.