Pj. Bevier et al., WOMEN AT A SEXUALLY-TRANSMITTED DISEASE CLINIC WHO REPORTED SAME-SEX CONTACT - THEIR HIV SEROPREVALENCE AND RISK BEHAVIORS, American journal of public health, 85(10), 1995, pp. 1366-1371
Objectives. This study compares characteristics, behaviors, and human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in women who reported same-sex
contact and women who had sex only with men. Methods. Participants wer
e patients attending a New York City sexually transmitted disease clin
ic. Structured questionnaires were administered by interviewers. Resul
ts. Overall, 9% (135/1518) of women reported same-sex contact; among t
hese, 93% also reported contact with men. Women reporting same-sex con
tact were more likely than exclusively heterosexual women to be HIV se
ropositive (17% vs 11%; odds ratio [OR] = 1.7, 95% confidence interval
[CI] = 1.0, 2.6), to exchange sex for money/drugs (48% vs 12%, OR = 6
.7,: 95% CI = 4.6, 9.8), to inject drugs (31% vs 7%, OR = 6.3, 95% CI
= 4.1, 9.5), and to use crack cocaine (31% vs 15%, OR = 3.3, 95% CI =
2.2, 4.8). HIV in women reporting same-sex contact was associated with
history of syphilis (OR = 8.8), sex for crack (OR = 5.7), and injecti
on drug use (OR = 4.5). Conclusions. In this study, women who reported
same-sex contact were predominantly bisexual. They had more HIV risk
behaviors and were more often HIV seropositive than women who had sex
only with men. Among these bisexual women, heterosexual contact and in
jection drug use were the most likely sources of HIV. There was no evi
dence of female-to-female transmission.