TUSCALOOSA, Ala., Sept. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. Women over age 35 who return to the dating scene after the breakup of a long-term relationship often face depression and sexually transmitted diseases.

Dr. Bronwen Lichtenstein of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa completed a study on the health risks of older women dating and found the women were depressed, had a lack of health information and had a lack of social support after their relationships.

Lichtenstein surveyed women in Alabama, who were recently divorced or widowed, and found almost all the women reported being depressed after ending a relationship and at least half the women had been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection. The women also faced biological, emotional and personal issues, although the real problem is that the issues aren't being addressed, Lichtenstein said.

"Women are biologically more at risk for STDs at 50 than at 20 and most women don’t realize it," Lichtenstein said in a statement.

“One of the most interesting things for me was that they told me they often meet people in grocery stores. There’s a whole dating scene for this age group going on in Wal-Mart and Publix," Lichtenstein said.