Problem: Genital injury rates following rape are documented to be as high as 90%, whereas genital injury rates following consensual sex are generally reported at 10%. Researchers have worked to increase the ability to detect injuries following sexual assault, and to differentiate those injuries and the patterns of injury from those that occur during consensual sex. Purpose: To describe the number, type, and location of injuries which occur following consensual sexual intercourse among college-aged women. Theoretical Framework: In their physiologic theory of human sexual response, Masters and Johnson (1966) proposed that women undergo physiological changes that help to reduce the incidence of injury during intercourse. Subjects: 15 white, female, college-aged community volunteers between 23 and 28 years old participated in the study. Methods: Subjects had consensual heterosexual intercourse at a time assigned by the investigative team followed by a forensic examination completed by expert nurse examiners. To identify injuries, subjects underwent a forensic examination that included the use of direct visualization, tissue-staining dyes, and colposcopy. Results: The subjects’ examinations took place 1-22 hours following consensual sexual intercourse. Injuries were detected in 11 out of 15 women, with 6 of the women sustaining more than one injury. The most common injuries were tears, followed by redness and abrasions. Injuries were detected most commonly on the posterior fourchette, labia minora, cervix, and fossa navicularis. The application of toluidine blue resulted in the discovery of 6 additional injuries. Conclusions: This study found that after consensual intercourse, injuries in college-aged women are more common than previously reported in the literature. Further research is needed to examine injury rates, patterns, and the similarities and differences between injuries following sexual assault as compared to consensual sexual intercourse. Funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research, R01 NR05352 and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CCT510420.
Session #1177 - Womens' Health
The 29th Annual MNRS Research Conference (April 1-4, 2005)