In May 2012 Dr Fox commissioned a survey of 2000 women regarding Unprotected Sex particularly when on holiday – the results were surprising and widely reported in the national media including The Sun, Daily Star, Mail Online, More magazine and others, plus many more online news and blog sites.
Press release
One in ten single women plan to have unprotected sex on holiday this summer, a survey found yesterday.
Researchers found 45 per cent of unattached females claim they are much more likely to have sex without a condom when on foreign soil.
And one in ten said they actually PLAN to have unsafe sex on their annual holiday this year.
The worst culprits for unprotected holiday flings were girls between the ages of 18 and 29.
But 13 per cent of thirty something’s are also planning to have sex without contraception when jetting off this summer.
The study by Online Doctor and Pharmacy site Dr.Fox which involved 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 research found a third claim to get swept away in the moment and forget about using condoms and one in five claim to trust partners not to give them an infection.
Dr Tony Steele founder of Dr.Fox said: ‘’It’s concerning that many women are not practising safe sex.
‘What is more concerning is that people are actually planning on having sex without a condom whilst on holiday.’
‘People you meet on holiday are complete strangers so you know virtually nothing about them – having sex without contraception is a sure fire way of increasing your chances of contracting a STI.’
‘Whether on home soil or thousands of miles away women whether they are 18 or 55 need to be practising safe sex and using condoms.’
Worryingly 18 per cent of single girls say they are often too drunk to use contraception and eight per cent say they just don’t like using condoms.
A more casual 12 per cent admit contraception is always readily available when you need it.
Despite being older and wiser – one in ten women over the age of thirty still feel embarrassed bringing up the subject of protection with a new partner.
The study found that women aged between 30-40 years old were most likely to have contracted a sexually transmitted infection.
Followed by those in the 18-29 age bracket.
And women age 41 and above were the age group to have had the most sex on holiday without using protection.
Women in their forties were also twice as likely to have had an unwanted pregnancy than those in the 18-29 age bracket.
The poll found the average single women has had unprotected sex 11 times with a total of four different men.
And those in the 30-40 age bracket were most likely to have taken the morning after pill.
The findings showed 16 per cent of the over 30’s say they have got worse at using contraception as they have got older.
With nearly a third of women in their thirties saying the younger generation have grown up in a world where sex education and STI’s are openly discussed.
One in five 30-40 year old women have had unsafe sex in the last three months, compared to 15 per cent of women in their teens and twenties.
All age groups were in agreement that contraception should be equally shared between both men and women.
Dr Tony Steele added: ‘The issue of contraception should be dealt with by both parties.’
‘The consequences of not using contraception for both unwanted pregnancy and for STI’s are huge.’
‘It can be embarrassing and or inconvenient for many women to make an appointment for a GP appointment for contraception.’
‘That’s one of the reasons why we set up Dr Fox where women can get contraceptive pills, the morning after pill and chlamydia treatment online.’
Media coverage
- Daily Star, 1 August 2012
- The Sun, 1 August 2012
- Daily Mail Online, 30 May 2012
