About 10 percent of men may have been involved with multiple sexual partners at some point during the last year, according to a new study, a finding that may play a role in the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (ABC News, 10/30).
Researchers examined data from the National Survey of Family Growth, which looked at almost 5,000 men in the United States. While some experts say that they are not surprised at the high level of concurrent sexual relationships, the study authors say that these types of relationships spread HIV more quickly than monogamous relationships.
“…Three concurrent partnerships will spread HIV faster than three monogamous relationships back-to-back, because if a person only has sequential partners and he gets HIV, he won't give it to another partner until he ends his relationship and strikes up a new one," says lead author Dr. Adaora Adimora, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health.
Beth Benne, RN, is HIV negative, but
the virus has impacted her life. She currently supervises a biannual HIV/AIDS awareness week as
the director of the student health center at Pierce College, a
community commuter school in Woodland Hills, California.
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Overheard in the Women's Forum
"I recently met a guy who is negative. I did tell him about my status and he decided to kiss me anyway (we didn't go further than that). But a day later, he called and said that he actually had a mouth ulcer that time when we kissed and he was very worried. Asked if he can get the virus from me that way. For that moment, I felt so insulted and yet I felt so bad. It was my first time having a contact with a "negative" guy."
