United Kingdom: STD Fears as 70 Percent of Single Women Admit to Regularly Having Unprotected Sex

A survey of 2,000 UK females ages 18-40 finds seven of 10 single women regularly practice unprotected sex. DrFox.co.uk, an online pharmacy and prescription service, conducted the poll.

The responses indicate the average single woman has had unprotected sex 11 times with a total of four different male partners. One in five women said they trust that their sexual partners will not infect them; 18 percent reported being too drunk to use contraception; 12 percent said contraception is not always readily available; and 8 percent said they "just don't like using condoms."

Dr. Tony Steele, co-founder of the website, is particularly concerned about single women's behavior while on vacation. "Women meet men on holiday who are complete strangers. They may know almost nothing about the men they meet, and having sex without contraception is a sure-fire way to increase the chances of contracting a sexually transmitted infection."

One in 10 women age 30 and older reported feeling embarrassed about addressing safe sex with a new partner, according to the survey. Women ages 30-40 were the group most likely to have contracted an STD, followed by those ages 18-29. One in five 30- to 40-year-old females have had unsafe sex in the last three months, compared to one in seven women in their teens and twenties.

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