I have just finished the largest study on swinging, STDs, and Safe Sex.

[fun4Ds]

Originally Posted by Unsub

Thanks for the kind words. Whats the saying, laughter is the best medicine? It IS the best medicine, and its free!
My couch or yours?

It would have to be yours, at least tonight......

Free laughter.... I'm into that, big time !!

[VegasLee]

Originally Posted by Unsub

Ok not sure why the drama with "we" stuff but I know your part of a couple....

No Drama at all. The reason I pointed out the We was because of the testing part.

You are correct, there is no test for us males but because of me being very much a part of a We she would end up with something from me if I caught anything. She can be and is tested.

Hard to read things in black and white at times. No offense meant at all.

And you never know, EVERYONE comes to Vegas!

[sweet_tna]

Thanks for posting the results. While interesting, I didn't find any real surprises there.

=)

[drziggy]

The study has a high level of importance because it was the FIRST study done on Swingers and STDs.
You may infer that other studies done with the general population may apply to swingers. That would be be comparing apples and oranges. Swingers are an important group to study because of their acknowledgment of multiple sex partners, thus, the impact of promiscuity can be evaluated somewhat more directly and objectively. In contrasts, it is rather difficult to evaluate rates of STDs with the general population since the only data we have is derived from health clinics and other health practitioners that rely on either diagnosed or self-reported infections.
Now, does this mean that swinging is a totally safe? No. Life isn't totally safe as we all know. However, we can make sure that we minimize the chances of infection by following some of the strategies I recommend somewhere herein (safe sex is the best one yet...).
If you have further questions, drop me a line.
Cheers!
DrZiggy

[socolais]

Originally Posted by drziggy

The study has a high level of importance because it was the FIRST study done on Swingers and STDs.
.....
However, we can make sure that we minimize the chances of infection by following some of the strategies I recommend somewhere herein (safe sex is the best one yet...).
If you have further questions, drop me a line.
Cheers!
DrZiggy

There are so many "cooties" we are at risk of catching when we have multiple sexual partners. There are no features or properties we can observe in our potential playmates that can assure us the other person is STD free. The brightness of their smile; their apparent disposable income; their popularity at the party; and everything else are totally meaningless as an indication of what we might catch (or even be exposed to and happen to not become infected). We can't even be completely certain of our own sterility. What critters are viable on the sheets of the recently used bed at the house party?

I think it all depends on Lady Luck because safe sex is never really safe. We would be unlikely to willingly rely on the effectiveness of condoms to protect us from the known STD carrier. Condom use, is just one of the rituals we may practice to influence our risks (and our peace of mind) and I believe it may be less effective than a warm soapy shower soon after an encounter. We believe we influence our risk by selecting playmates from the routine participants at the recurring house parties; we imagine they would not knowingly propagate an STD because it would damage their reputation.

I'm having difficulty assigning my personal value judgment on your data. On the one hand, the studies need to be done and I'm glad you're actively seeking answers. The good news is that your data shows swinging as a reasonably low risk activity. The unanswered question is how can we individually use this data to support best practices in our swinging choices to manage our risks. Can we demonstrate the merit of any particular ritual?

[Powerglide]

Originally Posted by drziggy

Here's the raw data of the study. The results were presneted at the international congress of SSSS in Mexico last month.
The results do not include the statistical analysis and consequent evaluation or discussion.
Albeit this is based on s self-selected sample of swingers, we feel that it does reflect, overall, the estimated incidence and prevalence of STIs amongst the swinging population.
No study on swinging will derive a true randomized sample for the obvious reasons. The best we can do is to continue to publish studies that utilize samples of convenience and continue to extrapolate the results to the larger swinging population.
It is important to hold on the technical criticism and appreciate the contribution of what we have right now, which is better than what we had before, nothing....

Excellent work. Very interesting. THANKS!

[Chicup]

Originally Posted by socolais

There are so many "cooties" we are at risk of catching when we have multiple sexual partners. There are no features or properties we can observe in our potential playmates that can assure us the other person is STD free. The brightness of their smile; their apparent disposable income; their popularity at the party; and everything else are totally meaningless as an indication of what we might catch (or even be exposed to and happen to not become infected). We can't even be completely certain of our own sterility. What critters are viable on the sheets of the recently used bed at the house party?

I have to disagree to a point.

General cleanliness, education, and socioeconomic factors are outward signs which would give a better indication of the potential health of a partner, so I do not think they are meaningless.

What they are not is definitive. You can still get HIV from a multimillionaire, three PhD holding germaphobe, so you need to take care, but the risk is less than if you were heading to Cracktown looking for a hooker.

[alabamabanging]

i would be very interested in reading your report. can you send it to me at alabamabangingatymail.com