Sexually transmitted diseases and risk for HIV infection among women who have sex with women.

Previous research has suggested that women who engage in sex with women (especially bisexual women) have a higher number of gay or bisexual male partners a higher incidence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and engage in more injected drug use than women in the general population. To confirm these findings a convenience sample of 509 self-identified lesbian or bisexual women attending a gay pride festival held in Milwaukee Wisconsin (US) in 1995 was surveyed. Respondents were predominantly White college-educated women in their early thirties with incomes above US$20000. 372 women (73.1%) identified themselves as exclusively lesbian 94 (18.5%) were primarily lesbian and 43 (8.4%) stated they were bisexual. 382 respondents (75.0%) reported sexual intercourse with a man at some point in their life. The mean numbers of female and male lifetime partners were 7.3 and 8.3 respectively. Only 14 (29%) of the 49 women reporting vaginal oral or anal sex with a man in the previous 2 months had used protection. 15% of male partners in the past year had used injection drugs 30% had had sex with other male partners 53% had multiple partners and 27% had at least one STD. 85 women (16.7%) reported 119 episodes of an STD primarily chlamydia. One STD was reported by 10.0% of exclusive lesbians 21.3% of those who were primarily lesbian and 14.0% of bisexuals. These findings highlight the importance of counseling lesbians as well as heterosexual women about STD/HIV prevention.