Warning as 59% of Brits don’t realise you can catch STIs WITHOUT having sex
ALMOST two thirds of Brits have no idea you can catch STIs without having a sex, a new report shows.
They believe common infections like chlamydia, herpes and gonorrhoea are transmitted only by “going all the way”.
The nationwide survey of women aged 18 to 55 by the app Flo Health found there to be a “staggering degree of misinformation” and prominent gaps in the knowledge they have about their own bodies.
Over a quarter (26 per cent) of respondents didn’t understand that STIs are spread during oral, vaginal or anal sex, with 59 per cent not knowing that you can catch one without having sex at all.
One in 10 also wrongly believed that the “pull-out method” is 90 per cent or more effective in preventing pregnancy, when in reality it is much lower at 78 per cent based on typical use.
And nine per cent of women mistakenly thought that the more sex you have, the looser your vagina will be.
Elsewhere, nearly half of women (46 per cent) couldn’t explain the best time to have sex to get pregnant.
And more than half (54 per cent) were not aware of premenstrual syndrome before their first period.
Flo Health blames the ignorance on £1billion cuts to NHS sexual health services since 2015, which sparked widespread false rumours online.
The research found a worrying 56 per cent of UK women rely on generic advice from search engines, with one in 10 turning to social media.
On TikTok, #womenshealth content alone has so far amassed 7.3 billion views, meaning users are vulnerable to non-personalised and misleading information, experts warn.
Dr Claudia Pastides, MBBS, director of medical accuracy at Flo Health, said: “Low health literacy is a direct contributor to the spread of misinformation and leads to poor health outcomes and unhealthy behaviours, especially in the areas of menstrual, sexual, and pregnancy health.
“Every woman’s body is different, and every woman’s experience with her menstrual and reproductive health is unique, but this is not taken into consideration enough.
“We at Flo Health are working towards being part of the solution to this problem.
“We want to empower women to better understand their own unique bodies, destigmatise taboo topics, and ultimately improve their health literacy by personalising their access to medically credible health information.”
How can you catch an STI?
SEXUALLY transmitted infections are usually passed on through unprotected sex or genital contact.
This includes vaginal, oral and anal sex.
They can spread in blood, semen or vaginal and other bodily fluids.
But infections can be transmitted non-sexually, such as from mums to their babies during pregnancy or childbirth, through blood transfusions and shared needles, and skin-to-skin contact.
STIs include chlamydia, genital warts, genital herpes, gonorrhoea, HIV, pubic lice and syphilis.
There are a range of signs and symptoms, including sores, discharge and pain during sex, but there are often none.
Always see a doctor if you think you may have been exposed.