STIs are increasing among Baby Boomer women at a faster rate than among the younger generation despite the latter having significantly more diagnoses, Australian researchers say.

The research team, from the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health at the University of Melbourne, investigated STI trends among Australian women between 2000 and 2018.

Using notifiable diseases figures and Medicare data, they compared STI rates among two older age groups (55-64 and 65-74) with younger age groups known to be at higher risk (15-24 and 25-34).

Overall, chlamydia rates increased by 302% and by 368%, respectively, in the youngest two groups, and by 473% and 720%, respectively, in the two oldest groups.