Women who have sex with women
[1] The term WSW is often used in medical literature to describe such women as a group for clinical study, without needing to consider sexual self-identity.
[3] As a result, these women are not screened regularly with pap smears because they have a lower perceived risk of acquiring a sexually transmitted infection or types of cancer.
[5] Another factor which leads to lesbians neglecting to seek medical screening in the United States is a lack of health insurance offered by employers for same-sex domestic partners.
Most WSW do not use protection during sex, due to misconceptions that a lower risk of STI transmission means that barriers are not needed.
[20] Engaging in oral sex without the use of a dental dam or condom is considered a high risk sexual behavior.
[21] Additionally, HIV prevention organizations distribute dental dams along with condoms and other safe sex supplies.
[23] Dental dams are commonly found at STI clinics and on the Internet but may be difficult to find at drugstores where condoms are normally sold.
[27] Similarly to condoms, a new dental dam is used for each instance of oral sex to reduce the risk of STI transmission.
[26] In the event of any open sores or wounds on the hands, latex gloves can be used to prevent infection while fingering or fisting.
[23] Since medical literature began to describe homosexuality, it has often been approached from a view that sought to find an inherent psychopathology as the root cause.
Although these issues exist among lesbians, discussion about their causes shifted after homosexuality was removed from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual in 1973.
Instead, social ostracism, legal discrimination, internalization of negative stereotypes, and limited support structures indicate factors homosexuals face in Western societies that often adversely affect their mental health.
Lesbians and bisexual women have a higher likelihood of reporting problems with alcohol, as well as not being satisfied with treatment for substance use programs.
However, others share these concerns but question whether politics should be brought into the bedroom, while some opposes the notion that strap-on sex is inherently linked to patriarchy.
[37] It can be difficult to draw robust and wide reaching conclusions about WSW, since many studies fail to specifically include this group.
