For more than 3 million women in the United States, the first sexual experience results from a non-consented relationship

In the USA, one in 16 women lived his first sexual experience during a rape. This is the terrible estimate of a new study. The data is based on the declarations of 13,310 Americans aged 18 to 44, from a national survey conducted between 2011 and 2017.

The purpose of this study was to determine how often women experience sexual violence during their first reports, as well as long-term consequences on their psychological and physical health.

If the movement #MeToo revealed how often women experience rape and sexual assault, there is no recent study of the prevalence of such violence in the first report, or the long-term health consequences of these women, note the authors of the study.

Of the more than 13,000 women interviewed, 6.5% reported having first intercourse under duress.

These women were on average younger (15.6 years) than girls who had intercourse (17.4 years). Of the women who were victims of sexual violence, about 56% said they received verbal pressure and 25% suffered physical injuries.

Greater risks of abortion or developing endometriosis

Compared to women who had a first report, women who have been sexually abused have higher risks to have a unwanted pregnancy (30.1% against 18.9%) and abort (24.1% against 17.3%).

They are also more likely to have endometriosis (10.4% vs. 6.5%), to develop ovulation disorders or menstrual disorders (27% vs. 17.1%) or to contract inflammatory pelvic disease (8.1% vs. 3.4%).

"These results highlight the need for public health measures and of socio-cultural changes in the prevention of sexual intercourse, especially when it comes to forced sexual initiation", conclude the authors of the study, published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.