Lesbians care less about their health than other women
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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38% of American lesbians do not undergo examinations for early detection of cervical cancer. These are the results of the study of the School of Medicine at the University of Maryland.
Cervical cancer is caused by the sexually transmitted virus of human papillomavirus. To detect the disease at an early stage helps to regularly conduct a special test - a Pap smear.
As it turned out, lesbians are less than heterosexual women, pay attention to their health and often ignore the doctors' recommendations for regular examination. If only 13% of heterosexual women have never done a Pap test in the last three years, then this figure is 38% among lesbians.
"We know that human papillomavirus can be transmitted through homosexual intercourse, so lesbians are also at risk," explains study author Maryland University Professor Jay Kathleen Tracy. "If these women do not undergo regular examinations, the risk of developing cervical cancer they are increasing, because they ignore the possibility of timely detection and elimination of processes preceding the development of the disease. "
The researchers concluded that an increased number of women who ignore the Pap smear, among lesbians, is not due to their carelessness, but to a lower level of communication with their doctors than other women. Heterosexual women are more open and frank in communicating with gynecologists.
"Our study showed that women who did not hide their sexual orientation from gynecologists were twice or even three times more likely to go to screening regularly, they were more willing to comply with the doctors' recommendations and believed that the Pap smear was important for their health, "says Professor Jay Kathleen Tracy.
During the study, three thousand women were interviewed, who consider themselves lesbians. The most common reasons why they ignored screening were lack of referral from a doctor (17.5%) and absence of their doctor as such (17.3%).
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