It’s even more incredible when you learn that the average couple has 26 sexual partners across both partners’ histories, with 71% confessing that they don’t regularly use any form protection.
The survey by UKMedix.com, an online pharmacy specialising in sexual health, formed part of wider research into Britons’ sexual habits and relationships. 2,218 British citizens took part in the study, all of whom were aged between 18 and 35 and were in a relationship of at least 12 months.
Respondents were initially asked “Do you regularly use barrier protection when having sex with your partner?” to which 71% confessed that they didn’t.
When asked if they worried about the risk of contracting STDs, only 17% stated that it was something that caused concern for them.
They were then asked to state how many sexual partners they and their partner had previously had, combined. The average answer given was 26 partners. When asked if they had used barrier contraception/protection with these previous partners, less than one in seven (14%) stated that they had used barrier protection with all of their previous partners.
The respondents were then asked about STD testing. When asked, “In your current relationship, have you and your partner ever had STD tests?”, 31% stated that neither they nor their partner had ever had an STD test.
“The fact that so many of us are not using appropriate protection with our sexual partners and not getting tested for STDs is very concerning,” said Sarah Bailey of UKMedix.com. “To be in a relationship where there is a shared history of 26 sexual partners and never having a check-up is just a recipe for disaster – and this seems to be the case for a very high number of people in the UK. We are in a developed country with a fantastic NHS service and sex education on the curriculum; there’s really no excuse for this.”
