Common use in the general population of sexual enrichment AIDS and drugs to enhance sexual experience.

BACKGROUND

We describe the prevalence of ever and current use of sexual enrichment aids and of using drugs to enhance the sexual experience, and correlates of that usage.

STUDY POPULATION

Participants in a random-digit dial survey conducted in the Seattle area between 2003 and 2004 among residents age 18 to 39 years of age with fluency in the English language.

RESULTS

Use of sexual enrichment aids and drugs to enhance sexual experience during a typical 4-week period were reported by 27% and 13%, respectively, of participants. Among those reporting using a drug to enhance their sexual experience, the most commonly used drugs were alcohol (83.7%), marijuana (34.7%), ecstasy or "sextasy" (ecstasy combined with sildenafil) (8.2%), and sildenafil (7.5%). Persons reporting use of sexual enrichment aids and drugs to enhance sexual experience were more likely to engage in sexual behaviors associated with a higher risk of acquiring and transmitting a sexually transmitted infection (STI),such as having nonmonogamous partnerships and multiple partners in the previous 12 months and sexual repertoire.

CONCLUSION

Whether use of sexual enrichment aids and drugs to enhance sexual experience is causally associated with STI risk or merely an additional marker of high-risk behavior or sensation seeking cannot be discerned from a single cross-sectional survey. However, these behaviors occurred frequently, and usage was common across all age, gender, ethnic, sexual, and income groups. Further studies in STI and other populations are required.