The current research explored consensually non-monogamous peoples’ experiences accessing sexual healthcare. Using a mixed method approach, a sample of 67 consensually non-monogamous individuals reported having significantly lower rates of trust in healthcare professionals compared to standardised scores. 63% of participants reported disclosing their relationship status to a clinician when accessing sexual health services, whereas 37% sometimes or never disclosed. Qualitative responses were explored to explain those findings in more detail. Some participants reported a willingness to be open about their relationships, but many chose to ‘pass’ as monogamous to both simplify and streamline their interactions as well as to avoid potential stigma. Participants reported a wide range of experiences with clinicians from those who were accepting and professional, to some who displayed prejudice and withheld treatment. This research outlines some of the experiences and challenges presented to consensual non-monogamists when accessing sexual healthcare as well as providing suggestions for clinicians to help remove some of the barriers to appropriate patient care.

The qualitative survey questions were produced after reviewing similar literature and a series of four pilot interviews with members of the target population. These questions asked participants to discuss their positive or negative healthcare encounters, including when and where they took place, for example, “If you have told a health care professional that you are consensually non-monogamous how did they react and how did it make you feel?” The “Trust in Health Care Providers” subscale of the “Multi-dimensional Trust in Health Care Systems Scale” was used to assess participants’ level of trust in their providers, this was adapted from a validated instrument published by Egede and Ellis (2008).