Woman are more likely to have unprotected sex if they believe the man has ‘relationship potential’ 

Woman are more likely to have unprotected sex if they believe the man has ‘relationship potential’

  • They will also have unsafe sex with a man if they feel they know him
  • Many worry more about appearing untrusting, unromantic or ruining the mood 
  • More than 200,000 women a year in England are diagnosed with an STI

Women considering spending the night with someone new are more likely to have unprotected sex if they think he is ‘relationship potential’, researchers claim.

They will also have unsafe sex with a man if they feel they know him, a study has found.

More than 200,000 women a year in England are diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection such as chlamydia or herpes.

Women are generally more likely than men to say upfront ‘we’re not having sex without a condom’.

But a study involving 177 women has found they may make an exception and put themselves at risk if they are looking for a relationship and feel a sense of familiarity with the man in question.

Women considering spending the night with someone new are more likely to have unprotected sex if they think he is ‘relationship potential’, researchers claim (stock)

Then they may worry more about appearing untrusting, unromantic or ruining the mood by asking to have protected sex.

Researchers led by the University of Guelph in Canada asked 440 men and women about a hypothetical scenario with a new partner they had met at a party, and how they might try to avoid unsafe sex.

Dr Shayna Skakoon-Sparling, who led the study, said: ‘Understanding what factors make it more difficult to recognise risk during a sexual encounter, such as the desire for a long-term romantic relationship and partner familiarity, can lead to better prevention.’

Women who propose having safe sex fear looking promiscuous and face the threat of killing a potential new relationship by insisting on protection. 

Some men complain that using a condom reduces sensation, so that sex is less pleasurable.

TWO BRITISH WOMAN CAUGHT SUPER GONORRHOEA FROM A POTENT STRAIN SPREADING THROUGH IBIZA

Two British women caught a strain of super gonorrhoea, which is being spread by people having unprotected sex in Ibiza, health chiefs revealed last week.

One of the women – the first to catch the potent STI strain in the UK – had condomless sex with a man who recently came back from the Spanish party island.

The other is thought to have picked up the infection after having unprotected sex with multiple men in Ibiza. Neither woman has been identified.

The woman who caught the infection in the UK is confirmed to have spread it to at least one other man and experts warn it is ‘likely’ more people have been infected. 

The link between the two cases, which were first reported by Public Health England in January, is the island off Spain’s east coast, researchers said. 

Nevertheless researchers found women said they would often directly request safe sex or make it clear that ‘no condom means no sex’. 

Withholding sex in this way has been found to be extremely good for convincing men.

But this sensible approach seemed to fall apart in women who were very keen on meeting a long-term partner who was ‘relationship potential’.

Women whose answers to a questionnaire showed they cared about relationships were more likely to consider unsafe sex if the man in the hypothetical party scenario felt ‘familiar’ to them.

Then they were less likely to tell researchers they had a strategy to encourage the man to use a condom.

For members of the opposite sex, it was the other way around. 

Men who had very little interest in relationships were more likely to focus on their own satisfaction in the bedroom, so choose unprotected sex without regard for their own or their partner’s risk of sexually transmitted infections.

But men who were interested in relationships were more likely to take precautions, with experts suggesting they may want to ‘present themselves as attractive partners’ or ‘individuals who care about their partners’ sexual safety’.

The study, published in the Journal of Sexual Research, concludes: ‘Future work should explore how shifting social expectations for safer sex and changing attitudes toward safer sex practices, like condom use, can foster a view that one need not sacrifice enjoyment for safety and to combat the incorrect heuristic that condoms always reduce pleasure or interfere with the establishment of intimate relationships.’

WORLD’S WORST CASE OF GONORRHOEA WAS CURED WITH A LAST-DITCH ANTIBIOTIC

An Englishman who caught the ‘world’s worst’ case of super-gonorrhoea was cured in April 2018 with a last-ditch antibiotic.

In the first recorded case worldwide, the unidentified man caught a version of the sexually transmitted infection (STI) that was resistant to two crucial drugs.

Health officials revealed he caught it from a one-night stand with a woman during his travels to south east Asia earlier this year – despite having a girlfriend in the UK.

Public Health England (PHE) issued a warning over the the STI, which is resistant to ceftriaxone and azithromycin – the two drugs recommended for gonorrhoea.

In a statement, the Government agency revealed the man – whose location has also been withheld – was cured with the antibiotics ertapenem.

Dr Gwenda Hughes, head of STIs at PHE, said: ‘We are pleased to report the case of multi-drug resistant gonorrhoea has been successfully treated. 

‘Investigations have also revealed there has been no further spread of this infection within the UK.’

Dr Hughes did warn that ‘we expect to see further cases of multi-drug resistant gonorrhoea in the future’. 

World Health Organization (WHO) experts raised fears two years ago the STI, once known as the ‘clap’, could become immune to antibiotics in a ‘matter of years’.

The WHO recommends patients are given ceftriaxone and azithromycin to combat gonorrhoea, the third most common STI in Britain.  

Officials said: ‘This is the first global report of high-level azithromycin resistant N. gonorrhoeae which is also resistant to ceftriaxone.’

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk