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Prevalence of vulvodynia and risk factors for the condition in Portugal
Author(s) -
VieiraBaptista Pedro,
LimaSilva Joana,
CavacoGomes João,
Beires Jorge
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1016/j.ijgo.2014.05.020
Subject(s) - vulvodynia , medicine , pelvic pain , fibromyalgia , hypoestrogenism , cross sectional study , gynecology , obstetrics , psychiatry , surgery , pathology , menopause
Objective To investigate the prevalence of vulvodynia in Portugal and factors associated with this condition. Methods In a cross‐sectional study, an online survey was distributed by email and posted on a website and social networks. Women aged at least 18 years who were living in Portugal were eligible to complete the survey between June 1 and November 30, 2013. Participants had to have had symptoms for at least 6 months to be deemed to have vulvodynia. Results Overall, 1229 questionnaires were included in analyses. A total of 80 (6.5%) women had vulvodynia at the time of the survey, and 117 (9.5%) had had it previously; lifetime prevalence was 16.0%. Pregnancy and type of delivery were not associated with vulvodynia. Women who had ever taken oral contraceptives were significantly more likely to have ever had vulvodynia ( P < 0.010). Candidiasis, genital herpes, urinary tract infections, depression, and premenstrual syndrome were associated with ever having had vulvodynia ( P < 0.01). Pain syndromes were associated with ever having had vulvodynia, especially fibromyalgia and bladder pain syndrome (P < 0.001 ) . Scoliosis and hysterectomy were also significantly associated ( P < 0.01). Conclusion The prevalence of vulvodynia in Portugal is similar to that elsewhere. Three main groups of factors might lead to vulvodynia: local inflammatory factors, general pain susceptibility, and pelvic nerve interference.