Women who have sex with women

Women who have sex with women (WSW) is a term used to identify women who have sex with other women, but may or may not self-identify as lesbian or bisexual. The term is often used in medical literature to describe such women as a group for clinical study, without needing to consider the issues of sexual self-identity.

A 1990 U.S. study showed that women who had had female sexual partners in the last 5 years had an average of 10.1 partners in those 5 years, while women with only male partners had an average of 2.2 partners.

They are more likely to have bacterial vaginosis, vulvo-vaginal candidiasis and a higher prevalence of hepatitis C and HIV-risk behaviours (but a lower prevalence of genital warts). There has yet to be any validated and verified report of a WSW contracting HIV in the absence of any other HIV-risk activity. 91% of HIV-infected WSW have at least one other risk factor, the most common of which is intravenous drug use. The U.S. CDC notes that there is a small possibility that HIV could spread through WSW contact.