ⅷ Objectives To determine whether lesbians and bisexual women are less likely than heterosexual women to use preventive health measures. ⅷ Design Written, anonymous, self-administered questionnaire. ⅷ Setting 33 physicians' offices and community clinics mainly in urban areas of 13 states. ⅷ Participants 524 lesbians, 143 bisexual women, and 637 heterosexual women. ⅷ Results Bisexual women were less likely than heterosexual women to have had appropriate cholesterol screening (odds ratio 0.29, 95% confidence interval 0.11 to 0.73) or appropriate mammography (0.33, 0.13 to 0.84). Human immunodeficiency virus testing was more common in lesbians (2.38, 1.51 to 3.74) and bisexual women (1.99, 1.17 to 3.38) than in heterosexual women. Illicit drug use was higher in lesbians (2.04, 1.14 to 3.70) and bisexual women (1.96, 1.07 to 3.57) than in heterosexual women. Lesbians were more likely than heterosexual women to practice safer sex (2.60, 1.23 to 5.49) and less likely to have ever been infected with human papillomavirus (0.48, 0.25 to 0.89). ⅷ Conclusion There were important differences in the preventive health measures taken by lesbians and bisexual women and those taken by heterosexual women. All patients should receive standard health tests, such as cholesterol screening and mammography, regardless of their sexual orientation. Lesbians and bisexual women who report illicit drug use should receive counseling, as appropriate.

This study examines mental health issues among women of different sexual orientations. An anonymous survey was administered at 33 health care sites across the United States; the sample (N = 1304) included lesbians (n = 524), bisexual (n = 143) and heterosexual women (n = 637). Not only did sexual orientation influence the probability of experiencing emotional stress, but also whether a bisexual woman or lesbian had disclosed her sexual orientation (was "out") impacted the likelihood of having or having had mental health problems. Bisexual women and lesbians experienced more emotional stress as teenagers than did heterosexual women. Bisexual women were more than twice as likely to have had an eating disorder compared to lesbians. If a bisexual woman reported being out she was twice as likely to have had an eating disorder compared to a heterosexual woman. Lesbians who were not out and bisexual women who were out were 2-2.5 times more likely to experience suicidal ideation in the past 12 months. Lesbians and bisexual women who were not out were more likely to have had a suicide attempt compared to heterosexual women. Lesbians used psychotherapy for depression more commonly than did heterosexual or bisexual women. This is one of the few studies that compares lesbians, bisexual and heterosexual women. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Women of all sexual orientations, and particularly heterosexual women, engaged in behaviors that put them at risk for HIV and STD.

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Emerging adulthood is a new, distinct life stage for 18-to 29year-olds in the United States. In the sixth wave of data collection in a longitudinal cohort study (started in 1986), predictors of mental health were examined in the emerging adult offspring within lesbian-parent parent families. The donor-conceived offspring were 25 years old. In cross-sectional analyses, we assessed whether their mental health (life satisfaction and behavioral/emotional problems) was associated with personal characteristics, family characteristics, quality of important relationships, and experiences of homophobic stigmatization. The findings revealed that the predictors of mental health in these offspring were typical of what has been previously reported on emerging adults. However, offspring who reported stigmatization because of their parents' sexual identity had higher rates of behavioral/emotional problems than those who did not. KEYWORDSEmerging adults; sexual minority parent families; offspring of lesbian parents; mental health; homophobic stigmatizationIn the United States and other high-income countries, emerging adulthood is a distinct life stage for individuals between 18 and 29 years old (e.g., Arnett, 2000;Fussell & Furstenberg, 2014). In the field of developmental psychology, there has been considerable interest in emerging adulthood, particularly in young people with economic security. Research on this life stage (e.g., Settersten, Ray, & MacArthur Research Network on Transitions to Adulthood and Public Policy, 2010) has primarily focused on U.S. populations. There are also studies of emerging adulthood within specific subgroups, such as women and racial/ethnic minorities (e.g.