Average Number Of Sexual Partners And Throat Cancer

According to this article, based on data collected from 1999 to 2002 for the National Center for Health Statistics:

The median number of lifetime female sexual partners for men was seven; the median number of male partners for women was four.

Four? Four?

I’m sure there are plenty of women who have had four or less partners, but on average...? Well, in this day and age, that number just seems kind of low to me.

But, I guess it’s an especially good thing for these women that they’ve had a low number of sexual partners, since according to this article:

People who had one to five oral-sex partners in their lifetime had approximately a doubled risk of throat cancer compared with those who never engaged in this activity – and those with more than five oral-sex partners had a 250% increased risk.

Which brings to mind this question--when participating in the survey for the National Center for Health Statistics, did these women take the Bill Clinton approach…it’s not sex unless actual penetration is involved?