RESEARCH ARTICLE
Sexually Transmitted Infections and Associated Conditions Among Women Who Have Sex with Women
Devika Singh*, Jeanne M. Marrazzo*
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2009Volume: 3
First Page: 128
Last Page: 134
Publisher Id: TOIDJ-3-128
DOI: 10.2174/1874279301004010128
Article History:
Received Date: 10/6/2009Revision Received Date: 31/7/2009
Acceptance Date: 1/8/2009
Electronic publication date: 24/12/2009
Collection year: 2009
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.
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.