Abstract

In 1025 women attending a genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic, sexual experience had started at an increasingly early age during the past 30 years, from a mode of 19 in the early 1950s to 16 in the early 1980s. Up to the age of 40, sexually active older women had as many recent sexual partners as younger women. Oral intercourse (fellatio) was practised by 714 (70%) women, and 378 (37%) experienced ejaculation in the mouth. Anal intercourse was practised by 200 (20%) women and 90 (9%) experienced ejaculation in the anorectum. The prevalence of all these practices increased with age. Women attending a Family Planning Association (FPA) clinic reported a similar prevalence of these practices, and differed from GUM clinic women only in the number of sexual partners in the preceding year. In the GUM group, black women reported significantly fewer recent sexual partners than did white women, and significantly fewer black women practised oral intercourse or permitted anal penetration. Full anal intercourse with ejaculation into the anorectum was practised at least occasionally by 9% (80/873) of white and 8% (10/131) of black women.