Seven out of ten single women regularly practice unprotected sex, a report revealed yesterday.
A study which involved over 2,000 women between the ages of 18 and 40 found a large percentage adopt a 'head in the sand' approach to the transmission of STDs. The survey found the average single woman has had unprotected sex 11 times with a total of four different men.
The research also revealed one third of women reckon they get swept away in the moment and forget about using condoms. One in five said they trust their partners not to give them an infection. Worryingly 18 per cent of single girls said they are often too drunk to use contraception - and eight per cent said they 'just don't like using condoms'.
Yesterday Dr Tony Steele, co-founder of online doctor and pharmacy DrFox.co.uk, which commissioned the study, said: ''Unsafe sex on holiday is a major concern, particularly where women plan ahead to have sex with new partners without using condoms.
''Women meet men on holiday who are complete strangers.
''They may know almost nothing about the men they meet, and having sex without contraception is a sure-fire way to increase the chances of contracting a sexually transmitted infection.''
The study also found 12 per cent think contraception is not always readily available when it's needed. Despite being older and wiser - one in ten women over the age of thirty still feel embarrassed to bring up the subject of protection with a new partner. The report also found women aged between 30-40 years old were the most likely to have contracted a sexually transmitted infection, followed by those in the 18-29 age group.
One in ten of all women polled said they were likely to have unprotected sex when they are off on holiday. Women in their forties were also twice as likely to have had an unwanted pregnancy as those in the 18 to 29 age group. Those in the 30 to 40 age group were most likely to have taken the morning-after-pill.
It also emerged 16 per cent of the over 30's say they have got worse at using contraception as they have get older. One in five 30-40 year old women have had unsafe sex in the last three months, compared to one in seven women in their teens and twenties.
Nearly a third of women in their thirties say the younger generation have grown up in a world where sex education and STI's are openly discussed. All age groups were in agreement that contraception should be equally shared between both men and women, which is perhaps surprising as it is women who often end up bearing much the consequences of pregnancy.
Dr Tony Steele added: ''The issue of contraception should be dealt with by both parties, but women need to protect themselves, even when men are not playing their part.
"The consequences of not using contraception for both unwanted pregnancy and for STI's can be huge".
''It is sometimes inconvenient for some women to make an appointment with a GP for their repeat contraception and embarrassing to go for STI treatment".
"One of the reasons we set up Dr.Fox.co.uk is to allow women to get contraceptive pills, the morning-after-pill and chlamydia treatment online in a safe and informed way.''
