A study released this week by DrFox.co.uk says that seven out of ten single women regularly have unprotected sex.
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It was discovered that the average woman has had unprotected sex 11 times with a total of four different sexual partners.
The reasons for not using condoms came thick and fast. A third of women said they just get caught up in the moment and forget to use a condom, with one in five saying that they trust their partners not to give them an infection.
Perhaps not so surprisingly, 18 per cent of women say that they are often too drunk to use contraception and 8 per cent said they didn’t like to use condoms.
Women between 30 and 40 were the real offenders when it came to using contraception, with them being most likely to contract an STI and to take the morning after pill.
This comes as no surprise and one in five of them say that they have had unprotected sex in the last three months, with 16 per cent admitting that they have gotten worse at using contraception as they’ve gotten older.
Although the 18-29 age group came second to the 30-40’s in most categories, it was the over 40’s that were the most surprising when it came to unwanted pregnancies.
Women in their 40’s were twice as likely to have an unwanted pregnancy as those in the 18-29 age group.
The reasoning for such poor sexual health care was down to the over 30’s thinking that the younger generations had grown up in a world where sex education and STIs were openly discussed.
One in ten women said they were most likely to have unprotected sex on holiday. Dr Tony Steele, co-founder of online doctor and pharmacy DrFox.co.uk 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.”
All age groups agreed that contraception should be something that is equally shared between men and women, as currently it’s something that usually falls on women to remember with medication such as the pill and implant.
Dr Tony Steele said, “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.”
Remember to always use condoms with new partners even if you’re on other contraception to stop the spread of STIs.