"I don't feel anything," "it makes my hard-on disappear," "it tightens things up," "it ruins the mood," "I'm allergic to latex," "who do you take me for?"

The French health agency Santé Publique France (SPF) has listed the "12 worst anti-contraception excuses" on its OnSEXprime website, dedicated to young people's sexuality. Our admittedly subjective favorite: "I love you." "What's that got to do with anything?" retorts the SPF. "STIs don't ask whether or not you love your partner. They're not concerned with feelings. They propagate."

The usually very serious SPF has let loose. It has to be said that the stakes are high, with young people representing one of the populations most at risk of transmitting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) – as well as migrants and men who have sex with men.

Have under-30s become resistant to wearing condoms when previous generations were scared to death of AIDS? Are they beginning to shun this "simple, effective and inexpensive little item," in the words of SPF?

"If anything, we can speak of a slight erosion in condom use at the start of sexuality," said Caroline Moreau, an epidemiologist at the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM). She is one of the scientists in charge of the major national survey "Context of sexualities in France" (CSF 2023, conducted by Inserm and ANRS-Maladies Onfectieuses), the fruit of five years' work, the fourth edition of which was unveiled on Wednesday, November 13.

While it increased in the 1980s and 1990s, condom use during first intercourse fell between 2019 and 2023, to 75.2% among women and 84.5% among men. "This corresponds to the Covid years," said Moreau. "The sample is therefore smaller, as fewer young people began their sexual lives at this time, but it's a warning signal that we'll need to confirm in the years to come."

The decline in the median age at first intercourse (18.2 for women and 17.7 for men in 2023; compared with 17.6 for girls and 17.2 for boys in 2006) does not mean that people are protecting themselves more. "The recent decline in prevention at first intercourse, which could contribute to the increase in STI rates reported since the early 2000s, calls into question current prevention policies," emphasized the initial findings of the CSF 2023 survey.

'A kind of love killer'

This was demonstrated at the Student Health Space in Bordeaux, which handles 70,000 students. Chlamydia, gonorrhea... the young patients we meet in the waiting room have all heard of them. Here, one can consult for a sprained ankle and end up discussing STIs. "There's not a day goes by when I don't write a screening prescription," said Mathilde Lafaysse, a general practitioner with additional training in gynecology.

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