Description of sexual practices of women who have sex with other women to HIV / AIDS in Abidjan (CIV)

The response to HIV must be based on all situations of risk and vulnerability related to sexual behavior. Sexual practices of women who have sex with other women to HIV described in his study come within this framework. This transversal and descriptive study on the sexual practices of 150 women who have sex with other women to HIV was conducted from July to September 2010 in Abidjan. Mean age of the respondents was 26.6 years. Among them, 21.3% was illiterate, 41.4% had no earned income and 57.3% was Christians. At the time of data collection, the majority (70.7%) did not know their HIV status. The analysis of sexual practices has found 13.3% of lesbians, bisexual, 36% and 50.7% of women who say they are lesbian even if they have had sex with men. Women who have sex with other women had sexual risk behavior. It was mostly the non-systematic use of the condom during sexual relation (60%). Among the 26.7% of respondents who had lesbian practices with penetration, 40% took no precaution to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Taking into account these results could help to develop specific strategies to promote responsible sexual practices among women who have sex with other women.