| While some lesbians tend to assume they don't
need to worry much about sexually transmitted diseases, a new study
suggests they're more vulnerable than many people think. |
| In a survey of 39 lesbians who never had sex
with men, 13 percent reported they had suffered from an STD. And only four
of the Minneapolis-area women said they regularly got tested. |
| The risk of having an STD was even higher among bisexuals
and lesbians who had sex with men in the past.
"The perception that sexual relations between women are low risk
or even risk- free needs to be addressed," said University of
Minnesota epidemiologists Greta R. Bauer and Seth L. Welles, who report
their findings in the August 2001 issue of the American Journal of Public
Health. "(Women who have sex with women) should be provided with
accurate information so that they can make informed decisions regarding
their health."
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| Researchers interviewed 286 women who attended
the 1997 Twin Cities Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender Pride Festival. As
is often the case with studies of women who have sex with women, many
reported a wide variety of sexual experiences; nearly 70 percent reported
sexual relationships with both men and women during their lifetimes. |
| The lesbians who never had sex with men reported STDs
including chlamydia, genital warts, pelvic inflammatory disease and
trichomoniasis, also known as trich, which can cause vaginal itching and
burning.
The authors wrote that doctors must pay more attention to STDs among
lesbians and not assume they are immune to problems because they don't
have male partners.
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| "The sign of a good doctor is someone who
asks about sexual history, is non-judgmental and does the appropriate
screening tests," said Dr. Jeffrey D. Klausner, director of STD
Prevention and Control Services for the San Francisco Department of Public
Health. |
| "Every doctor visit should have some
discussion about sexuality. If women are not having those discussions with
their doctors, they should seek other doctors," he said. |
| To learn more about lesbian safe sex, visit
this fact sheet from lesbianstd.com. |
