A decrease in monogamy, but plenty of STD's to go around

According to The Metro this week, more single people in the UK now think that it is acceptable to date more than one person at a time – And surprisingly, this was more women than men. (25% of men, 36% of women)

It was also stated that more than half of single people in the UK intend to use the internet in the next few months in order to find a relationship (and not just one relationship at that).

This increase in sexual interest of course will directly link to the ever-increasing amount of sexual transmitted diseases that we so often hear of, raising the question of…how do we decrease this number if sex is on the rise?

As Britain becomes a nation of “multiple daters”, many have condemned contraception, claiming that it not only encourages casual sex, but that it doesn’t even work.

yourSTDhelp goes as far to include a “Why Condoms Fail” section explaining they are an “all round failure” due to the attitude that goes alongside them.The blog states that the only way to prevent STD’s is to yes use protection, but also to “keep your partners at a minimum” and to “stay monogamous when in a relationship.”

Nick Partridge, chief executive of Terrence Higgins Trust, a sexual health charity, talks of the growing popularity of online dating and the effects it can have on our health. He condemns the fact that although many of these dating websites are professional, they do not concentrate on the prevention of STD’s and do not provide access to related services. He added: “If we don’t concentrate on these, we will continue to have ever-increasing rates of HIV and the worst sexual health in Western Europe.”

In Global Health Blog, it is claimed that the “health benefits of monogamy are obvious” by reducing the spread of HIV and other STD’s but with so many of the nation at least considering taking more than one partner, perhaps the benefits are not as obvious as you would expect.