More sexual partners, more cancer?

Two headlines caught my eye recently: The relationship between chronic diseases and number of sexual partners: an exploratory analysis and Study warns more sex might mean higher likelihood for cancer It may be hard to believe, but both of these refer to same medical research. I’m not sure which one I like better. The first one is the actual title of the research, which provides no information about its findings. The second one is a newspaper headline. It cuts right to the chase about the study’s main findings. While it’s much more specific — and alarming — it is also misleading. Is there a link between the number of sexual partners and cancer? The study investigating this possibility was published BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health. It enrolled about 2,500 men and 3,200 women who were 50 or older (average age 64). Each person was surveyed about the total number of sexual partners they’d had over the course of their lives. This information was compared with a number of medical conditions they’d developed, including cancer, heart disease, and stroke. The study demonstrated that Men who reported 10 or more sexual partners in their life were nearly 70% more likely to have developed cancer when compared with those reporting 0 or 1 lifetime sexual partners. For women, the findings were even more dramatic: women who reported 10 or more sexual partners in their life were nearly 91% more likely to have developed cancer when compared with those reporting 0 or 1 lifetim...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Cancer Relationships Sex Sexual Conditions Source Type: blogs