According to a study published in the journal BMC Public Health, poor sexual health is more common in women and affects them in more diverse ways than men.

Out of the 12,132 men and women on which the study was conducted, 17% men and 47.5% women in UK reported poor sexual health. Sexual health a wide term and includes different health risks such as sexually transmitted diseases, unplanned pregnancies, sexual function problems, and sexual coercion.

Based on the markers of sexual health that were most common different groups of people, researchers identified sexual health classes, four of which were common to both men and women – good sexual health (83% men, 52% women), wary risk takers (4% men, 2% women), unwary risk-takers (4% men, 7% women), and sexual function problems (9% men, 7% women).

Two additional sexual health classes were identified in women only; a low sexual interest class (29% women), and highly vulnerable class reporting a range of adverse experiences across all markers of sexual health, which included 2% of women.