researchers from the UK found a link between having ten or more sexual partners and an increased risk of developing cancer both in men and women.
Note that there had been not many studies that show how the number of sexual partners affects the health of people. Scientists working in the framework of the project the English Longitudinal Study of Aging (“English long-term study of aging”, ELSA), I decided to fill this gap. We are talking about the study, in which scientists track the health of people over 50 years. All subjects live in different parts of England.
ELSA Participants were asked questions about their age, marital status, ethnicity, income and factors related to lifestyle: Smoking, alcohol, exercise. Specialists were also interested in the health status of the subjects.
in addition, participants talked about the number of sexual partners they have had throughout life. The number of partners was categorized as follows: 0-1, 2-4, 5-9 and 10 or more.
in Total, the study involved approximately 2,500 men and over 3,000 women. On average, the participants was 64 years, and 75% of them were married.
About 29% of men reported that their life was 0-1 and 2-4 sexual partner, 20% were told about 5-9 partners, approximately 22% reported 10 or more partners.
41% of women had no partner or only one, 36% reported 2-4 partners and 15% on 5-9, and 8% reported ten or more.
it is Curious that both men and women who had the highest number of sexual partners, as a rule, was the younger among the sample, alone or either the poorest or the richest.
But, most importantly, experts have found a link between number of sexual partners and risk of cancer. For example, compared with 41% of women who had one sexual partner or not at all, PRedstavitel of the fair sex who have had ten or more had 91% more likely to hear a diagnosis of cancer.
Men who had 2-4 sexual partner, had a 57% higher risk compared to those who had 0-1 partner. The odds were increased by 69% among those who had ten or more partners.
the Emergence of chronic illness was also more likely among women with a high number of sexual partners, but not among men.
Women with 5-9 sexual partners or those who reported greater numbers, had a 64% greater chance to encounter a condition that affected their everyday lives. However, experts did not specify any illness going on.
it’s No secret that sex with multiple people is associated with an increased risk of sexually transmitted infections. However, the current study shows that sex with multiple partners also increases the likelihood of cancer in both sexes.
Because the study was observational, the researchers cannot specify the cause of increased risk of cancer. Meanwhile, the obtained results are consistent with some findings of other papers which show that the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections is a risk factor for the emergence of many infections, including those that lead to cancer.
it is Known that some strains of HPV cause cancer of the cervix, penis, vagina, anus, mouth and throat. Hepatitis C and hepatitis b are associated with a much higher risk of developing liver cancer at a later age, while HIV infection causes several types of tumors, including Kaposi’s sarcoma.
If to speak about the importance of this discovery, it is to improve diagnosis for people at risk.
However, one question remains unanswered: why are women more at risk to develop cancer? It is known that men usually have more sexual partners than women if you take into account a person’s entire life. Second, Wwomen more often seek treatment when they fall ill. However, to confidently answer this question, further studies will be required.
Scientific article on the results of the work were published in BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health.
Text: To.Science
