Sexual behaviour and risk reduction strategies among a multinational sample of women who have sex with women

Vanessa Schick, Joshua G. Rosenberger, Debby Herbenick, Michael Reece

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

39 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objectives: The development of safer sex recommendations for women who have sex with women (WSW) remains challenging given a limited understanding of sexual behaviour between women. The present study was conducted in order to investigate the sexual repertoires of WSW and the safer sex methods they use to reduce the likelihood of sexually transmitted infection acquisition. Methods: An online survey targeted towards women with desire, attraction or previous sexual behaviour with women was distributed globally. Women (N=3116) who engaged in at least one sexual act with a woman in the previous year and were currently living in the USA, UK, Canada or Australia were included in the present study. Questions were based upon previously validated items in nationally representative studies. Results: Participants indicated a wide diversity of sexual behaviours with the majority of women reporting a history of genital rubbing (99.8%), vaginal fingering (99.2%), genital scissoring (90.8%), cunnilingus (98.8%) and vibrator use (74.1%). Barrier use was reported by a minority (<25%) of the participants. Conclusions: The variety of sexual acts reported by the sample points to the need for the development of more contextually appropriate sexual health guidelines for WSW.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)407-412
Number of pages6
JournalSexually transmitted infections
Volume88
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2012

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Dermatology
  • Infectious Diseases

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