The long-term health of some lesbian and bisexual women is at risk because Britain's National Health Service is not meeting their needs, say campaigners. A survey by LGBT charity Stonewall of more than 6,000 lesbian and bisexual women revealed many had never had a cervical smear, or a test for sex infections, reports the BBC. The survey results showed that lesbian and bisexual women were less likely to approach the NHS, and less likely to receive appropriate advice when they did. Two thirds of those questioned by De Montford University researchers said they had smoked at some point - a significantly higher proportion than women in the general population. Lesbian and bisexual women were also five times more likely to have used recreational drugs. The survey also suggested that mental health problems were far more common among lesbian and bisexual women. One in five reported having harmed themselves during the past year, and 5% said they had tried to take their own lives - a much higher rate than in the general population. Lesbian and bisexual women have a significant risk of sexually-transmitted infection, but fewer than half had been tested in the past five years. Half of those tested were found to have an infection. Stonewall's Ruth Hunt, one of the study authors, said the study provides a 'wake-up call' to healthcare practitioners across Britain. "It demonstrates that hundreds of thousands of lesbian and bisexual women feel highly uncomfortable about engaging with the NHS." This story continues on the BBC News link below.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Wednesday, 18th June 2008 - 10:13pm