Multiple Sex Partners and Drug Link for Women

Young adults with multiple sex partners are more likely to develop alcohol or cannabis dependence, reveals a new research done at the University of Otago.

Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health & Development Study shows that young people are at greater odds of developing substance disorders with increasing numbers of sexual partners. This is a long running study and first of its kind to be researched upon; the results were published in the US journal Archives of Sexual Behavior.

The study revealed that on average men and women tend to have sex with at least 3 different partners in a year. The reasons for the same vary from person to person. The researchers said women mainly state the reasons such as love, emotional attachment and commitment while for men it mostly is physical pleasure than the above reasons as stated in Otago Times.

Substance use disorders have found to be increased among women who have taken into having multiple sexual partners. These include alcohol, cannabis use and other self-medications to combat with the mental pressure of multiple sexual partners.

Study lead author Dr Sandhya Ramrakha says that there exists a strong link between multiple sex partners and later substance disorders in women. It remained even after the researchers took into account any prior mental disorder, including alcohol and cannabis disorders.

This study also proved that women who had multiple sexual partners before their 20years of age had 10times more risk in developing substance use compared to those women who had single partner or never had sexual partners at their young age. Even those women who took to multiple sexual partners after 30’s were less likely to be addicted to drugs or alcohol.

This also led to the development of mental disorders in women along with sexually transmitted illnesses. Use of self-medication has also increased among this group. The study concluded that women who have multiple sexual partners are more likely to take into drug addiction than men who do the same.

Source-Medindia