Health care services for lesbian and bisexual women: some Canadian data

Specific health needs and health services for lesbian and bisexual women are relatively invisible in existing research, with little Canadian data on these topics. To redress such gaps, data were selectively analyzed from a larger study with 98 lesbian/bisexual women living in a Maritime Province in Canada. As part of a semistructured interview, women were asked to indicate whether a particular health care service was important to them. General physical examination, Pap smear, breast examination, and holistic medicine were the four services chosen with the highest frequency. HIV/AIDS information/screening and safer sex information were judged important by over half of the participants. When asked to rank their top three services, however, participants chose the physical examination, holistic medicine, and psychological counseling. Our results are discussed in terms of barriers to basic health care, accessibility of services, and the importance of accurate information about AIDS and safer sex.