Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1996. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Trends in female sexual behaviour and sexually transmitted diseases in London, 1982-1992.
Genitourin Med. 1995 Oct;71(5):286-90. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/96096205 Evans BA; McCormack SM; Kell PD; Parry JV; Bond RA; MacRae KD; Department of Genitourinary Medicine, Charing Cross Hospital,; London, UK.
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE--To measure changes in female sexual behaviour, including condom use, and their relationship with the incidence of sexually transmitted and other genital diseases in women during the decade 1982-92. DESIGN--A prospective series of cross-sectional surveys of sexual behaviour reported by a standardised self-administered questionnaire in new patients who presented for screening and diagnosis. SETTING--A genitourinary medicine clinic in West London. SUBJECTS--4089 consecutive newly attending patients who completed sexual behaviour questionnaires during 1982, 1987, 1989 and 1992. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Trends in socio-demographic status, sexual behaviour, condom-use, sexually transmitted diseases and other genital infections diagnosed by routine clinical and laboratory methods. RESULTS--Women reported significantly increasing condom use (from 3.6% to 20.7%) and decreasing oral contraception (from 51.2% to 40.1%), but the proportion who used no contraception (23.6% to 24.7%) and the proportion who had never been pregnant (58.3% to 59.9%) remained similar. Numbers of sexual partners in the preceding year decreased (p < 0.001) and an increasing proportion of women practised oral intercourse (p < 0.001). During the same period, there was a progressive decline (p < 0.001) in the incidence of gonorrhoea, chlamydial infection and trichomoniasis by approximately two-thirds. However, the incidence of vaginal candidosis (p < 0.001), bacterial vaginosis (p < 0.001) and genital warts (p < 0.01) increased. CONCLUSIONS--Increasing use of condoms for vaginal intercourse with both regular and non-regular partners has been associated with a decrease in the incidence of gonorrhoea, chlamydial infection and trichomoniasis. There was also an increase in the practice of fellatio and a change in the spectrum of STD and other genital infections with little net reduction in morbidity. HIV infection showed no evidence of heterosexual spread.
Keywords: Adolescence Adult Aged Condoms/UTILIZATION Cross-Sectional Studies Female Hepatitis B/EPIDEMIOLOGY Hepatitis C/EPIDEMIOLOGY Human HIV Infections/EPIDEMIOLOGY Incidence Leukemia-Lymphoma, T-Cell, Acute, HTLV-I-Associated/EPIDEMIOLOGY London/EPIDEMIOLOGY Middle Age Prospective Studies *Sex Behavior Sexual Partners Sexually Transmitted Diseases/*EPIDEMIOLOGY JOURNAL ARTICLE
960330
M9630704
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Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1996. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
