Cervical Cancer Screening Rates Lower Among Chicago Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Women Than Heterosexual Women, University of Illinois Study Finds

In new research, the University of Illinois at Chicago reveals a concerning phenomenon: lesbian and bisexual women in Chicago appear to lag behind compared to heterosexual women in receiving the latest cervical cancer screenings. The study, published in JAMA Network Open, utilized data from the Chicago Department of Health's 2020-22 survey of more than 5,000 cisgender women living in Chicago. These women were between the ages of 25 and 64 and had no history of hysterectomy. Regular cervical cancer screening is a critical step in cancer prevention and is defined as having been screened within the past three years.

The study found that 771 TP3T of self-identified heterosexual women reported being up-to-date on screening, while only 711 TP3T of lesbian or bisexual women reported being up-to-date. This gap narrowed significantly in the presence of a primary health care provider. The importance of having a primary health care provider for lesbian and bisexual women is much greater than for heterosexual women, a point emphasized in the study.

Study lead author Kelley Baumann, a research associate at the Center for the Study of Women and Gender at the University of Illinois at Chicago, noted that having a primary care provider is more important for lesbian and bisexual populations than for heterosexual populations. Bowman further explained that other studies have shown that health insurance for LGBTQ+ communities tends to be less stable than for heterosexual communities, which means they may switch providers more frequently, resulting in longer wait times for appointments or new doctors not being able to access medical records to see if they need to be screened.

In addition, the study broke down differences in screening rates by race and found that white women who identified as lesbian and bisexual were 51 TP3T less likely to report being aware of up-to-date screenings compared to heterosexual white women, but the gap widened to 151 TP3T for black women.These figures highlight the health inequities that exist between sexual orientation and race.

Bowman emphasized that the findings underscore the importance of ensuring that health care providers make all patients feel welcome and listened to. She hopes that the health care system becomes less fragmented so that changing providers is less likely to result in delayed screenings.

This study not only provides insight into the disparities in access to cervical cancer screening for lesbian and bisexual women, but also highlights the importance of improving the health care system to meet the needs of all. As these findings become public, they are expected to promote more inclusive and effective health safeguards to ensure that everyone has access to necessary preventive health care.