RESEARCH ARTICLE


Sexually Transmitted Infections and Associated Conditions Among Women Who Have Sex with Women



Devika Singh*, Jeanne M. Marrazzo*
Department of Medicine/Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Center for AIDS and STD, Harborview Medical Center/University of Washington, Box 359931, 325 Ninth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104, USA.


© 2009 Singh et al.

open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Correspondence: * Address correspondence to this author at the Department of Medicine/Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Center for AIDS and STD, Harborview Medical Center/University of Washington, Box 359931, 325 Ninth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104, USA.Tel: 206-744-8311/3679; Fax: 206-744-3693; E-mails: dsingh@u.washington.edu, jmm2@u.washington.edu


Abstract

Available data support that women who have sex with women (WSW) are at risk for a variety of sexually transmitted infections (STI) and vaginitis. Risk of STI transmission in this group depends on the specific STI under consideration and the sexual practices involved. Data demonstrates that WSW receive less standard gynecologic screening than their heterosexual counterparts. This may be due, in part, to provider and patient assessment of risk. Based on available evidence, there is a need to increase provider education on the sexual health of WSW. Moreover, enhancement of STI screening guidelines that specifically mention WSW, particularly for cervical cancer and infections caused by C. trachomatis, are essential.