Persons who exchange sex are at increased risk of getting or transmitting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases STDs because they are more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors e. Those who exchange sex more regularly as a source of ongoing income are at higher risk for HIV than those who do so infrequently.
Persons who engage in such activities include escorts; people who work in massage parlors, brothels, and the adult film industry; exotic dancers; state-regulated prostitutes in Nevada ; and men, women, and transgender persons who participate in survival sex, i. For any of the above, sex can be consensual or nonconsensual. It is important for people who exchange sex to get tested for HIV regularly and know their status.
There is a lack of population-based studies on persons who exchange sex, although some studies have been done in singular settings such as prisons and exotic dance clubs. However, the illegalโand often criminalizedโnature of exchange sex makes it difficult to gather population-level data on HIV risk among this population. This lack of data creates significant barriers to developing targeted HIV prevention efforts. Many persons who exchange sex face stigma, poverty, and lack of access to health care and other social servicesโall of which pose challenges to HIV prevention efforts.
Existing research shows that. Persons who exchange sex may not use condoms consistently. Several factors may contribute to this behavior, including.
There is a strong link between exchange sex and drug and alcohol use. Persons who exchange sex, if under the influence of drugs or alcohol, may have impaired judgment, engage in riskier forms of sex such as anal sex, and have difficulty negotiating safer sex condom use, for example with their customers. People who trade sex for drugs tend to have more clients, use condoms less often, and are more likely to share needles and other drug works.
