Number Of Recent Sex Partners Research Articles

Association between early sexual abuse and adult HIV-risky sexual behaviors among community-recruited women☆

Objective: The first purpose was to determine whether sexual abuse involving penetration that occurred in childhood only, adolescence only, or both childhood and adolescence differently impacted whether community-recruited women had ever traded sex for money or drugs, their number of recent sex partners, and the number of times they had engaged in recent unprotected sex. The second purpose was to assess the mediating effects of adulthood rape, recent drug use, and recent sex with an injection drug user on these three HIV-risky sexual behaviors. Method: Women ( n = 1,490) recruited from three US sites were questioned about their childhood and/or adolescent sexual abuse histories, adulthood rape experiences, recent drug use, and adult HIV-risky sexual behaviors via structured interviews. Results: One-third of the women reported having experienced sexual abuse involving penetration in childhood and/or adolescence. Overall, regression analyses indicated a significant relationship between early sexual abuse and adult risky behaviors; rape in adulthood mediated this relationship for all three HIV-risky behaviors. Abuse that occurred in childhood only and abuse that occurred in both childhood and adolescence had a stronger impact on later risky behaviors than did abuse that occurred in adolescence only. Conclusions: Because childhood constitutes a critical period in individuals’ sexual, social, and personal development, sexual abuse precipitated during this time may distort women’s constructions of sex and sexuality. Women abused in childhood may therefore engage in HIV-risky sexual behaviors to a greater extent than women abused in adolescence as a result of these disruptions to their development. Rape in adulthood appears to intensify the effects of early sexual abuse, increasing abused women’s involvement in risky behaviors. Treatment that connects abused women’s experiences during development to their current behaviors is recommended to help them adopt safer sex practices.

Type specificity and significance of different isotypes of serum antibodies to human papillomavirus capsids.

Isotype-specific serum antibody responses against human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 were evaluated by use of cross-sectional, prospective, and population-based seroepidemiologic studies. IgG1 and IgA were the most abundant isotypes. No sample contained IgG2, and <25 samples contained IgG3 or IgM. Total IgG, IgA, and IgG1 were HPV type specific and were associated with HPV-16 DNA (odds ratios [ORs], 5.4, 5.0, and 5.9, respectively; P<.001) but not with other HPV DNA (ORs, 1.2, 1.2, and 0.8, respectively; P value was not significant). Total IgG and IgG1 were strongly associated with number of lifetime sex partners (P<.001); IgA was only associated with number of recent sex partners and lifetime sex partners among younger women. Total IgG, IgG1, and IgA were associated with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia type III and also predicted risk of future cervical neoplasia. IgG and IgG1 appeared to mark lifetime cumulative exposure, whereas IgA may mark recent or ongoing infection.

P3.18.02 Association between number of recent sexual partners and the risk of acquiring cervical HPV is influenced by years since first intercourse

International Journal of Gynecology & ObstetricsVolume 70, Issue S3 p. C144-C144 Invited presentation P3.17 physiology of reproductions P3.18.02 Association between number of recent sexual partners and the risk of acquiring cervical HPV is influenced by years since first intercourse E.I. Svare, E.I. SvareSearch for more papers by this authorS. Krüger Kjaer, S. Krüger KjaerSearch for more papers by this authorJ.E. Bock, J.E. BockSearch for more papers by this authorC.J.L.M. Meijer, C.J.L.M. MeijerSearch for more papers by this authorJ.M.M. Walboomers, J.M.M. WalboomersSearch for more papers by this authorA.J.C. van den Brule, A.J.C. van den BruleSearch for more papers by this author E.I. Svare, E.I. SvareSearch for more papers by this authorS. Krüger Kjaer, S. Krüger KjaerSearch for more papers by this authorJ.E. Bock, J.E. BockSearch for more papers by this authorC.J.L.M. Meijer, C.J.L.M. MeijerSearch for more papers by this authorJ.M.M. Walboomers, J.M.M. WalboomersSearch for more papers by this authorA.J.C. van den Brule, A.J.C. van den BruleSearch for more papers by this author First published: 11 December 2003 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0020-7292(00)85527-7AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume70, IssueS32000Pages C144-C144 RelatedInformation

Sexual Partnership Patterns as a Behavioral Risk Factor for Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Women's and men's number of sexual partners and protective practices such as condom use can have a direct effect on their risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV. The 1988 and 1995 cycles of the National Survey of Family Growth and five rounds of the General Social Survey conducted from 1988 to 1996 are used to examine women's and men's numbers of recent sexual partners. Levels of direct risk for STDs (two or more partners in the past year) and the social and demographic correlates of multiple partnership are analyzed among women and men. In addition, women's indirect risk for STDs (their partners' involvement with other partners in the past year) is used to estimate their overall risk of STDs through multiple partnerships. At least three-quarters of sexually active U.S. women and men in the late 1980s and mid-1990s had had only one sexual partner in the preceding 12 months. Moreover, there is no indication that the proportion with more than one partner in the past year changed substantially over that period. Nevertheless, combining women's and men's partnership reports suggests that about 17 million women aged 15-44--34% of those sexually active in the past year--were at risk for STDs because of direct exposure to multiple partners (5.4 million), indirect exposure (6.3 million) or both direct and indirect exposure (5.5 million). In all, 21% of women were at direct risk and 23% were at indirect risk. In comparison, among men aged 18-44, 24% were at direct risk for STDs and an unknown proportion were at indirect risk. Multivariate analyses indicated that unmarried individuals, women younger than 40 and men aged 20-29, blacks and women in the South were all at elevated risk for STDs because of multiple partnership. Overall, in 1995, 19% of sexually active women aged 15-44 had used condoms to protect against STDs over the preceding year, and 19% of those sexually active in the three months before the survey were current condom users. Condom use specifically for STD prevention was more common among women reporting both direct and indirect risk for STDs (58%) and among those at direct risk (46%) than among other women; women whose partners put them at indirect risk only were less likely to be current or recent condom users than women who were not at risk or were only at direct risk. There is a continuing need to educate people regarding their risk for STDs, to increase the use of existing barrier methods and to develop new methods that protect against STD infection. In addition, if we are to develop a better understanding of the extent of STD risk through multiple partnership, the collection of information on number of partners and relationships between partners must be expanded and improved.

The association of gonorrhoea and syphilis with premature birth and low birthweight.

Provide evidence from prospective data that Neisseria gonorrhoeae may be an important cause of premature delivery and low birth weight in areas with high prevalence of genital infections. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Kalafong University Hospital, Pretoria, South Africa in collaboration with the Departments of Microbiology and of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium. Two hundred and fifty six consecutive black pregnant women were examined during the first antenatal visit, and one to four weeks later a second culture for N gonorrhoeae was taken at random in 67 of them. Hundred and sixty seven were analysable, 75 were lost to follow up. After obtaining detailed clinical history, an endocervical specimen for N gonorrhoeae culture (Thayer-Martin) and C trachomatis antigen detection (Chlamydiazyme (R)) was taken. Syphilis was diagnosed when both reactive plasma protein (RPR) and T pallidum haemagglutination inhibition assay (TPHA) were positive. Prematurity was defined as delivery at less than 37 gestational weeks. Infection with N gonorrhoeae (n = 9) and untreated syphilis (n = 7) were both associated with prematurity and low birth weight. After multi-variate regression analysis, age-adjusted parity, late sexual debut, number of recent sexual partners, infection with N gonorrhoeae and infection with syphilis revealed significant associations with low birth weight. However, infection with C trachomatis, presence of abundant vaginal discharge, social class, Trichomonas vaginalis infection, gestational weeks at first antenatal visit and number of previous miscarriages did not reveal such an association. Attributable risk of untreated gonorrhoea for premature birth was 72% and routine cultures were cost-benefit efficient. At least in countries where the prevalence is high, genital infections as well as the risk factors for acquiring them (young age, late sexual debut, number of recent partners) play a major role in the aetiogenesis of prematurity and low birth weight. N. gonorrhoeae is a main contributor, and in high prevalence areas it should be routinely looked for and treated for during pregnancy.

Measures of sexual behavior and the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease

A women's sexual behavior affects her risk of acquiring pelvic inflammatory disease, but the risks have not been well characterized. To study the association between pelvic inflammatory disease and sexual behavior, we analyzed data from a multicenter, case-control study involving 712 women hospitalized with an initial episode of pelvic inflammatory disease and 2719 hospitalized control women without a history of pelvic inflammatory disease. Study participants provided information on their frequency of intercourse, number of recent sexual partners, and previous history of gonorrhea. Logistic regression methods were used to adjust for confounding factors. Women who reported having four or more sexual partners were over three times more likely to be hospitalized for pelvic inflammatory disease (relative risk 3.4; 95% confidence interval 2.2-5.3) than were women who reported only one recent sexual partner. To a lesser extent, frequent sexual intercourse and history of gonorrhea also increased a woman's risk of pelvic inflammatory disease. Frequent intercourse was a strong risk factor for pelvic inflammatory disease among a subgroup of women who were at low risk for acquiring a sexually transmitted disease: Married women with one recent sexual partner with intercourse six or more times per week had a risk of pelvic inflammatory disease of 3.2 (1.4-7.2) compared with similar women having intercourse less than once per week. Frequent intercourse, which does not by itself increase the risk of acquiring a sexually transmitted disease, may increase a woman's risk of pelvic inflammatory disease.

Cytomegalovirus Infection in Women Attending a Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinic

To evaluate prospectively the relationship between current and past sexual practices and seroprevalence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) in adult women, 1481 women (1101 white, 301 black, 79 other) attending a sexually transmitted disease clinic underwent a standardized interview and genital examination. CMV seroprevalence was higher in black (78%) than in white (59%) women. In logistic regression models that adjusted for age and years of education, CMV seropositivity in white women was associated with younger sexual debut (P = .001), more lifetime sex partners (P = .025), recent new partner(s) (P = .003), and parity (P = .002), and was inversely associated with use of barrier contraception (P = .006). In black women, after adjustment for demographic characteristics, CMV antibody was associated with greater numbers of recent sex partners (P = .007), new sex partners (P = .04), and with cervical infection with Chlamydia trachomatis (P = .05). This study confirms that sexual activity is an important determinant of CMV infection in both white and black women; however, the relative contributions of sexual and nonsexual transmission of CMV apparently vary and require further investigation.

Cigarette smoking as a risk factor for pelvic inflammatory disease

To examine the relationship between cigarette smoking and pelvic inflammatory disease we analyzed data from a hospital-based, case-control study of pelvic inflammatory disease. Case subjects were 197 women hospitalized with their first episode of pelvic inflammatory disease; control subjects were 667 women hospitalized with nongynecologic conditions. Logistic regression was used to control for potentially confounding factors, including number of recent sexual partners, frequency of intercourse, and previous episodes of gonorrhea. Compared with women who had never smoked, current cigarette smokers had a significantly elevated relative risk of pelvic inflammatory disease of 1.7 (95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 2.5). Similarly, former cigarette smokers had a significantly elevated relative risk of pelvic inflammatory disease of 2.3 (95% confidence interval, 1.3 to 4.2). However, a dose-response relationship was not observed. These results suggest that cigarette smoking is associated with pelvic inflammatory disease. Whether or not this association is causal requires clarification. The high prevalence of cigarette smoking and the serious consequences of pelvic inflammatory disease make such clarification an important consideration for future research.

Factors influencing selected heterosexual male college students' condom use.

This study assessed selected heterosexual male college students' use of condoms, their reasons for using condoms, and their attitudes toward sexuality and condoms. Three hundred five male subjects completed a questionnaire that assessed class standing, marital status, reasons for using condoms, number of recent sexual partners, intention to use condoms, and attitudes toward sexuality and condoms. Although no relationship between attitudes toward sexuality and attitudes toward condoms was noted, a negative correlation (-.42) was found between attitude toward condoms and intention to use condoms within the next month if the subject were to have intercourse during that time. Recommendations for increasing condom use are presented.

Incidence and risk factors for human immunodeficiency virus seroconversion in a cohort of Sydney homosexual men.

By means of prospective cohort data from the Sydney AIDS Project, we report on 55 homosexual or bisexual men who have become infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), as measured by the development of serum HIV antibodies (seroconversion). We have compared the sexual practices, recreational drug abuse, history of sexually-transmissible diseases, and antecedent immunological findings of the men who seroconverted with those of 588 subjects who persistently remained seronegative in the same time-period. The cumulative incidence rate of HIV infection over the three years of observation was 8.5%. The cumulative incidence rate ranged from less than 1% for the six months before August 1, 1984, to a peak of 5% in the six months before August 1, 1985. Of those subjects for whom we had data for the period of seroconversion, all but two of the subjects who seroconverted admitted to a recognized high-risk sexual practice in the six months before the first visit at which they were found to be seropositive. Univariate analysis found that men who seroconverted were significantly more likely to have had a greater number of recent sexual partners (relative risk per partner, 1.02; P less than 0.001), to have engaged in receptive anal intercourse (incidence rate ratio, 3.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3-7.6; P = 0.01) and to have used nitrite inhalant (incidence rate ratio, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.2-5.9; P = 0.02) and amphetamine (incidence rate ratio, 4.8; 95% CI, 2.2-10.5; P less than 0.001) drugs. The men who seroconverted were significantly (incidence rate ratio, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.2-6.1; P = 0.014) more likely to have antecedent T-suppressor-cell counts of greater than 800 cells/microL. Factors that retained significance in multivariate analysis were the number of recent sexual partners, recent amphetamine abuse and a T-suppressor-cell count of greater than 800 cells/microL.

Determinants of Emergence of Antibiotic-Resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Studies were carried out to evaluate the prevalence and risk factors for antibiotic-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections. Monthly surveillance of gonococcal isolates showed the prevalence of gonococci with high-level, plasmid-mediated tetracycline resistance (TRNG) to be about 15% for three consecutive 6-mo periods. Over the same period, the prevalence of gonococci with chromosomally mediated resistance to penicillin G steadily increased, from 0% to 9% and then to 21%. From April to July 1987, while chromosomally mediated penicillin resistance was rapidly increasing, a more intensive study was conducted. Patients infected with TRNG reported significantly more lifetime sexual partners (P less than .05) but otherwise resembled patients infected with antibiotic-sensitive gonococci. Patients infected with chromosomally mediated penicillin-resistant gonococci differed from other patients. In addition to reporting more lifetime partners (P less than .05), patients with chromosomally mediated penicillin-resistant gonorrhea were more likely to be older (P less than .05) and more often reported past episodes of gonorrhea (P less than .05), greater numbers of recent sexual partners (P less than .05), new sexual partners (P less than .05), prostitute contact (P = .06), and parenteral drug use or sexual partners who were drug users (P = .07). The introduction of antibiotic-resistant N. gonorrhoeae into communities may be attributable to a subset of patients who practice "risky behaviors" and who could be targeted for disease intervention activities.

Genital ulceration as a risk factor for human immunodeficiency virus infection.

Among 115 heterosexual men who presented with genital ulcers to a sexually transmitted disease clinic in Nairobi, Kenya, the prevalence of serum antibody to HIV was 16.5%. A past history of genital ulcers was reported by 12 (63%) of 19 men with antibody to HIV versus 30 (31%) of 96 without antibody (P = 0.008). HIV infection was also positively associated with lack of circumcision, but was not associated with the etiology of the current genital ulcer. Logistic regression analysis (adjusted for age, number of recent sex partners, recent prostitute contact, circumcision, tribal ethnic identity, past history of urethritis, and current diagnoses) confirmed only the association between prior history of genital ulcer disease and HIV infection; (P = 0.04, odds ratio 2.35, 95% confidence limits, 1.01-5.47). The incidence of genital ulcers, particularly chancroid, is much higher in parts of Africa than in Europe or North America. This may contribute to the increased risk of heterosexual transmission of HIV in Africa. Aggressive control of chancroid and syphilis may offer one very feasible approach to reducing transmission of HIV in this region.

1 CHLAMYDIA TRACHOMATIS (C.t) IN ADOLESCENT FEMALES

C.t is an important cause of sexually transmitted disease (STD) in adults and has been implicated as a cause of salpingitis and perihepatitis. As limited data are available regarding C.t in adolescents, 75 sexually active female teenagers were studied to determine the prevalence of C.t and other STD's including trichomonas, gonorrhea, herpes simplex (HS), syphilis, as well as cytomegalovirus (CMV). Relevant data were obtained on study patients to determine clinical patterns of C.t infection in this age population and possible relationships with other STD's. Cervical and/or urethral cultures from 17 subjects (23%) were positive for C.t; other pathogens identified were trichomonas (13%), CMV (12%), N. gonorrheae (11%) and HS (3%). 16% were infected with 2 or more agents. Tabular analyses revealed no relationship between C.t infection and the following variables: age, contraceptive method, number of recent sexual partners, parity, catamenia, history of STD, another simultaneously diagnosed STD and presence of CMV or HS-2 antibodies. 7 C.t(+) subjects were asymptomatic and abnormal physical findings in 10 occurred in association with other common STD's. C.t antibody Was not detectable in all C.t(+) subjects. These data demonstrate C.t is a common STD in adolescence which cannot be diagnosed on the basis of symptoms or physical exam. As C.t is a STD with potentially serious sequelae, screening by appropriate culture should be considered in sexually active female teenagers.