Lilith
10-08-2003, 09:01 PM
A quarter of women stop using condoms just four weeks into a new relationship, a survey has revealed.
Although 87% of women would not sleep with a man in the early stages of a relationship unless he used a condom, 25% of the 1,000 women interviewed said they would start to have unprotected sex after a month.
More than half of the women interviewed by Company magazine said they would talk to new partners about their sexual histories.
And 25% of women would wait until both partners were tested for sexually transmitted infections before sleeping together.
The poll is part of Company's annual Freedom Years research into the habits and attitudes of British women towards sexual health.
The survey also revealed that 76% of women are romantics at heart, still believing there is one special man waiting for them. And 45% claim personality is important when looking for a partner.
The majority of women (82%) said they would end the relationship if they found their man was cheating.
Company editor Sam Baker said: "There's a real danger here of women becoming caught in what we call the four-week sex trap.
"They seem to think once he becomes more than a one-night stand that suddenly his past ceases to exist. Any risk that he might have posed when they first met him is gone.
"Sadly this is absolutely not the case as his past, and yours, will always be lurking in the background. As difficult as it is to remember to be practical when you are caught up in the fervour of a new boyfriend, until both of you have been tested you can never be sure you are safe."
Although 87% of women would not sleep with a man in the early stages of a relationship unless he used a condom, 25% of the 1,000 women interviewed said they would start to have unprotected sex after a month.
More than half of the women interviewed by Company magazine said they would talk to new partners about their sexual histories.
And 25% of women would wait until both partners were tested for sexually transmitted infections before sleeping together.
The poll is part of Company's annual Freedom Years research into the habits and attitudes of British women towards sexual health.
The survey also revealed that 76% of women are romantics at heart, still believing there is one special man waiting for them. And 45% claim personality is important when looking for a partner.
The majority of women (82%) said they would end the relationship if they found their man was cheating.
Company editor Sam Baker said: "There's a real danger here of women becoming caught in what we call the four-week sex trap.
"They seem to think once he becomes more than a one-night stand that suddenly his past ceases to exist. Any risk that he might have posed when they first met him is gone.
"Sadly this is absolutely not the case as his past, and yours, will always be lurking in the background. As difficult as it is to remember to be practical when you are caught up in the fervour of a new boyfriend, until both of you have been tested you can never be sure you are safe."