Post-Covid-19 lockdowns, health officials saw a spike in reported sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in 2022. Why? Well, experts say STI screenings were on the long list of healthcare appointments that patients put off during the pandemic. 

Ahead of CDC’s STI Awareness Week, which runs from April 9th to April 15th, we decided to take a look at Zocdoc appointment booking data to see if patients have taken a renewed interest in their sexual health. 

The results are clear: Bookings in the first half of March 2023 were 26% higher than the same period in 2022. Let’s take a look at some of our other compelling findings about who’s seeking out STI screenings and treatment — and why. 

Demographic divide

Men are being more proactive about checking up on their sexual health than they usually are with other medical care. Typically, they make up around 35% of overall Zocdoc bookings, excluding ob-gyn appointments. But over the last year, they made up 41% of STI-related bookings, while women booked the remaining 59%. 

Additionally, millennial and Gen Z patients booked more STI appointments over the last year than other age groups. 

• Combined, millennial and Gen Z patients booked 94% of all STI appointments. Around 51% of these bookings came from millennials, while 43% came from Gen Z bookers. 
• Patients in their 20s booked nearly twice as many appointments as those in their 30s. Around 59% of bookers were in their 20s, while 30% were in their 30s. 
• Seniors (65+) made up less than 1% of the bookings. 

Issues by frequency

Patients on Zocdoc made the most appointments related to genital warts, which are caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). Here’s the breakdown of STI-specific bookings below. 

• Genital warts (24%)
• Genital Herpes (17%)
• HIV/AIDS (16%)
• HPV (16%)
• Hepatitis (14%)

Across the map

Patients across the country turned to Zocdoc for STI-related care over the past year. Zocdoc patients in Atlanta were the most proactive about their sexual health and had the highest rate of STI bookings per patient. Meanwhile, patients in Boston, Charlotte, NC, San Francisco and Nashville had some of the lowest booking rates. Here are the 15 locations patients paid the closest attention to their sexual health:

1. Atlanta
2. Houston
3. Detroit
4. Las Vegas
5. Phoenix 
6. Dallas
7. Seattle 
8. Washington, D.C.
9. Denver
10. Chicago
11. New York
12. Austin
13. Los Angeles 
14. Orlando
15. Miami

Need a doctor’s appointment? Find one on Zocdoc.