Review of methodology
Sexual orientation could be defined by intimate identification, sexual attraction, or behaviour that is sexual. 13 These definitions are certainly not congruent, as they are more likely to vary in level and with time. We selected topics based on both intimate identification and intimate behavior. We used convenience sampling (chosen by virtue of attendance at lesbian clinics or through lesbian and bisexual women’s community groups) since lesbian and bisexual orientation that is sexual stigmatised and topics hard to take research. 14 The clinics had been advertised as lesbian health that is sexual, as well as the survey called a study of lesbian intimate wellness, therefore bisexual women can be apt to be under-represented. The results presented may not be directly generalisable to lesbians and bisexual women in other settings while the community sample was purposively selected to reflect demographic diversity. These information aren’t meant to express all lesbians and bisexual ladies, but alternatively to explain variety of intimate history and training in a sample that is large of who possess intercourse with females.
Studies of intimate wellness are inevitably at risk of inaccuracies such as for instance recall bias and social desirability bias. 15, 16 additionally, questions regarding intimate behavior are prone to be interpreted in subtly ways that are different participants dependant on what’s considered “sex” or a “partner” by participants. As an example, while 85% reported past sex with males, 82% reported having had more than one male intimate partner.
The study utilized a framework with primarily questions that are closed predetermined response groups. The diversity that is true of history and training is consequently apt to be under-represented by these outcomes. We online sex chats now have noted differing reaction prices to various specific questions; the poorest reaction prices had been for questions regarding rectal intercourse and also this may introduce reaction bias.
Discussion of outcomes
This study comprises the data set that is largest of lesbian and bisexual women’s intimate behavior in the uk. Direct evaluations of our outcomes along with other surveys are hard as a result of variations in sampling methods, definitions of intimate orientation, formula of concerns, or descriptive statistics. Evaluations could be fashioned with six studies of intimate behavior that have been performed throughout the 1990s. Two are Uk: (a) the Pride Survey, 17 a convenience test of 278 lesbians at London’s annual Pride event, and (b) the nationwide Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles 1990–1 (NATSAL), 18 a probability sample of 18 876 of which 178 ladies reported sex genital contact that is same. Three studies are US: (c) a nationwide survey that is postal into the mag The Advocate, which recruited 6935 lesbians, 19 (d) the Boston Lesbian wellness venture, a nationwide study of 1633 lesbians recruited by snowballed sampling, 20 and ( ag e) the National health insurance and Social Life Survey (NHSLS), 2 a probability sample of 3432, of which 140 females reported exact same intercourse lovers. The very last is Australian: (f) a study of 1408 women that have intercourse with ladies going to a clinic that is genitourinary Sydney. 21
The evaluations outlined below suggest a fairly advanced level of persistence between study results.
Within our study, genital stimulation through dental sex or penetration with hands had been very nearly universally reported in intercourse between ladies. The usage adult toys and anal stimulation were less commonly reported. Comparable choices had been recorded within the Pride Survey together with Boston Lesbian Health venture. The 2 probability that is national (NATSAL in the uk, NHSLS in the usa) give details just about passive or active dental sex between females.
Distinctions in sampling methods are going to account fully for differing proportions of topics reporting activity that is sexual males. Topics within the Advocate, Boston Lesbian wellness, and Pride studies had been defined by lesbian or bisexual identities; 77%, 77%, and 87% of participants reported activity that is sexual guys. NATSAL and NHSLS had been random populace examples and the Sydney STI study had been a hospital populace including 22% who had been intercourse employees; 96%, 98.8%, and 93percent among these participants reported sex with males. Information in other studies are in keeping with our discovering that lesbian and bisexual women’s very first intimate experience is commonly heterosexual, accompanied a couple of years later on by very very first exact same intercourse experience that is sexual.
Lesbians and bisexual females could have health that is reproductive 22 ; inside our study 13.8% had provided delivery and 5.8% reported miscarriage. a proportion that is appreciable undergone termination (13.5%); this can be just like the reported rate in NATSAL of 15.1per cent for several ladies aged 25–44. Lesbians and bisexual females may look for advice about conception by donor insemination. 23 it’s not known just exactly what percentage of our test are non-biological parents.
Instance studies and center based studies indicate that woman to girl transmission of disease can be done for trichomoniasis, 24 genital herpes, 25 vulval and cervical individual papillomavirus, 26 hepatitis the, 27 syphilis, 28 and HIV, 29 along with bacterial vaginosis. 30 girl to girl transmission of chlamydia or gonorrhoea is not documented. The general rarity of all of those STI diagnoses in lesbians or clinic that is bisexual implies that analysis of dangers of specific intimate techniques is hard. Our information prove a array of intimate training in intercourse between ladies, and counter assumptions that a lesbian intimate orientation precludes sexual task with males; these details is supposed to steer appropriate testing, diagnosis, therapy, and avoidance advice for STIs in lesbians and bisexual females.
A sizeable percentage of lesbians and bisexual feamales in a history to our survey of sex with males had never ever utilized condoms for vaginal or anal penetrative intercourse (even though the figures in this subgroup were small). a proportion that is large of whom shared adult sex toys failed to clean them or make use of condoms on toys before usage on an other woman. Dental dams had been hardly ever found in intercourse between females. These data on usage of obstacles in intimate activity appear to mean that lesbians are in danger of STI transmission from women or men, although safer intercourse are negotiated in many ways other than with the use of condoms or dental dams. Lesbians when you look at the Pride survey negotiated reduced threat of HIV disease between females by avoiding specific acts (38%) and washing arms and adult toys (17%) along with by making use of latex gloves (17%) or dental dams (15%).