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Anglia Ruskin University study suggests having 10+ sex partners increases cancer risk

The West Australian
About 28.5 per cent of men revealed they had had 0-1 sexual partners, 29 per cent said they had had 2-4, one in five (20 per cent) reported 5-9 and 22 per cent reported 10 or more. The equivalent figures for women were 41, 35.5, 16 and just under 8 per cent.
Camera IconAbout 28.5 per cent of men revealed they had had 0-1 sexual partners, 29 per cent said they had had 2-4, one in five (20 per cent) reported 5-9 and 22 per cent reported 10 or more. The equivalent figures for women were 41, 35.5, 16 and just under 8 per cent. Credit: DragonImages/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Having 10 or more sex partners throughout your life may increase your chance of developing cancer, a new study suggests.

Researchers at Anglia Ruskin University in the United Kingdom made the discovery after surveying more than 5700 men and women.

Subjects were first quizzed on the number of people they had been intimate with.

They were then asked to self-rate their health, provide information on lifestyle choices and report any long-standing mental and physical conditions.

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The average age of participants was 64, and almost three out of four were married.

About 28.5 per cent of men revealed they had had 0-1 sexual partners, 29 per cent said they had had 2-4, one in five (20 per cent) reported 5-9 and 22 per cent reported 10 or more.

The equivalent figures for women were 41, 35.5, 16 and just under 8 per cent.

The results published in the BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health showed a statistically significant association between the number of lifetime sexual partners and risk of a cancer diagnosis for both sexes.

Women who reported 10 or more sexual partners were a staggering 91 per cent more likely to have received a cancer diagnosis than their virginal or one-partner counterparts.

Significant jumps between groups were also found for men, with those reporting 2-4 lifetime partners 57 per cent more likely to have a cancer diagnosis and those whose “number” reached 10 and above 69 per cent more at risk.

Although the reason for the apparent link between sex partners and cancer remains unclear, sexually-transmitted infections have been linked to the development of several types of malignant tumours.

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