Special Concerns for Women

Although STIs affect both women and men, research shows that women are more susceptible to infection and are less likely to seek treatment than are men. The potential complications of untreated RTIs are more serious in women, and infections can be transmitted to the offspring of pregnant women as well. 

Although the rates of infection vary tremendously among and within countries, World Bank reports indicate that STIs are the second most important cause of health life years lost in women of childbearing age (after pregnancy-related problems). It is important to recognize that women are biologically more vulnerable to diseases of the genital tract than are men since:

• The lining of the vagina is a mucous membrane more permeable to infection than the skin on the outside of the penis.
• Women’s genitals have more surface area through which infection can occur.
• Lack of lubrication during intercourse or changes in the cervix during the menstrual cycle can facilitate more efficient transmission of infection to women.
• Younger women are particularly vulnerable because their cervical tissues may be less mature and more readily penetrated by organisms (e.g., chlamydia and gonococcus).
• Older women are more likely to get small abrasions in the vagina during sexual activity because of the thinning of the tissues and dryness that occur with age.

Women who already have an infection (particularly one that causes genital lesions) are more likely to get or transmit HIV, and since women are often asymptomatic when infected with an STI, they are often not aware of this increased risk.

Other risks for women include the use of vaginal douches (which increase the risk of PID) and the influence of hormonal contraceptives on acquiring or transmitting STIs, although this relationship is not yet fully understood.

Although women are often perceived as being the “end of the line” of infection since they are less likely to pass on infection, many women are at risk for infection, particularly when their primary partners have other partners. Social and economic vulnerability amplify women’s risk for infection. For example, many women lack economic resources and are fearful of abandonment or of violence from their male partner. Therefore, they have little control over how and when they have sex, which in turn hampers their ability to protect themselves from infection.

Course Home | Module Home Index | Glossary | Help | Next Page

© 2007 EngenderHealth