October 31, 2007

One in Ten Men Has Multiple Sex Partners

About 10 percent of men may have been involved with multiple sexual partners at some point during the last year, according to a new study, a finding that may play a role in the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (ABC News, 10/30).

Researchers examined data from the National Survey of Family Growth, which looked at almost 5,000 men in the United States. While some experts say that they are not surprised at the high level of concurrent sexual relationships, the study authors say that these types of relationships spread HIV more quickly than monogamous relationships.

“…Three concurrent partnerships will spread HIV faster than three monogamous relationships back-to-back, because if a person only has sequential partners and he gets HIV, he won't give it to another partner until he ends his relationship and strikes up a new one," says lead author Dr. Adaora Adimora, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health.