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Study examines
sexual risk factors of bisexual and lesbian women

Study examines
sexual risk factors of bisexual and lesbian women

A study of sexual risk factors among lesbians, bisexual women, and heterosexual women in the September issue of the journal Sexually Transmitted Diseases shows that bisexual women are more likely to report having sex while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, while self-described lesbians are more likely than other women to have sex with bisexual men. Self-identified lesbians also were more likely to report condom use when having sex with men than were either bisexual or heterosexual women, according to the study.

Researchers surveyed 1,304 women at 33 primary health care sites. A total of 49% of the women identified as heterosexual, 40% as lesbian, and 11% as bisexual. Six hundred of the women reported having sex with men, but only 51% of those women reported ever using condoms. Heterosexual women were at the highest risk for HIV infection as a result of low condom-use levels. Lesbians were also shown to have higher rates of sex with injection drug users than other women.

"Women of all sexual orientations, and particularly heterosexual women, engaged in behaviors that put them at risk for HIV and sexually transmitted diseases," the authors conclude. (Advocate.com)

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