Oro-anal sexual practice among female sex workers in Melbourne: implication for extragenital gonorrhoea and chlamydia transmission
Eric P. F. Chow
A B C and Christopher K. Fairley A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Alfred Health, 580 Swanston Street, Carlton, Vic. 3053, Australia.
B Central Clinical School, Monash University, 99 Commercial Road, Melbourne, Vic. 3004, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: eric.chow@monash.edu
Sexual Health 17(3) 296-298 https://doi.org/10.1071/SH19219
Submitted: 28 November 2019 Accepted: 8 January 2020 Published: 22 June 2020
Abstract
Background: The prevalence of sexually transmissible infections has been low among female sex workers (FSWs) in Melbourne, Australia. However, the prevalence of gonorrhoea and chlamydia, especially at extragenital sites, has increased since the mid-2010s. Oro-anal sex (i.e. rimming) has been identified as a risk factor for extragenital gonorrhoea and chlamydia. However, rimming has rarely been studied among the FSW population. The aim of this study was to examine the proportion of FSWs who had had rimming with their male clients. Methods: A cross-sectional survey among FSWs attending the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre in Australia in March 2018 was conducted. All females aged ≥18 years and self-reported as a sex worker were eligible. The survey included questions related to the number of insertive and receptive rimming partners with their male clients in an average working week. Results: Forty-five FSWs completed the survey; five (11.1%; 95% CI: 3.7–24.1%) FSWs had had insertive rimming and 19 (42.2%; 95% CI: 27.7–57.8%) had had receptive rimming with their male clients in an average working week. The median number of insertive rimming partners was two (interquartile range (IQR) 1–5) and the median number of receptive rimming partners was one (IQR 1–3). Conclusion: Insertive rimming is more commonly practiced than receptive rimming among FSWs with their male clients in an average working week.
Additional keywords: anorectal, Australia, client, commercial sex, oropharyngeal, prostitution, rimming, sexual behaviour, sexually transmitted disease, sexually transmissible infection, sex work.
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