Prevalence of sexually transmitted disease infection in women alleging rape

During a 2-year period ending in October, 1989, 110 women who claimed to have been raped were treated at the sexually transmitted disease clinic at Birmingham General Hospital. A total of 22 sexually transmitted infections were found in 14 (13%) women, of which Chlamydia trachomatis (in 8%) and Trichomonas vaginalis (in 6%) were the most frequently found pathogens. In none of these patients was it possible to determine whether infection resulted from rape or from voluntary intercourse with another person. The high prevalence of infection found in this study and in previous studies indicates that all women alleging rape should be investigated at a sexually transmitted disease clinic.