Table 1:
Demographic characteristics of 215 women with chronic vulvar pain (cases) and 222 women with no vulvar pain history (controls); 2010–2015.
| Cases | Controls | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| N (%) | N (%) | ||
| 215 (49.2) | 222 (50.8) | ||
| White Race | 200 (93.02) | 206 (92.79) | |
| Age (years) | 18–25 | 53 (24.6) | 29 (13.1) |
| 26–30 | 78 (36.2) | 65 (29.3) | |
| 31–35 | 61 (28.3) | 66 (29.7) | |
| 36–40 | 23 (10.7) | 62 (27.9) | |
| BMI | <20 | 28 (13.0) | 20 (9.0) |
| 20–25.9 | 104 (48.3) | 110 (49.6) | |
| 26–30.9 | 48 (22.3) | 44 (19.8) | |
| ≥31 | 35 (16.2) | 48 (21.6) | |
| Sexual and Reproductive History | |||
| Sexual Partners (lifetime) | <5 | 99 (46.0) | 96 (43.2) |
| 5–10 | 58 (26.9) | 46 (20.7) | |
| ≥10 | 58 (26.9) | 80 (36.0) | |
| Years on Hormonal Contraceptive | <5 | 78 (36.2) | 70 (31.5) |
| 5–10 | 67 (31.1) | 61 (27.5) | |
| ≥10 | 70 (32.5) | 91 (41.0) | |
| Ever Pregnant | 103 (47.9) | 130 (58.6) | |
| Nulliparous | 129 (60) | 107 (48.2) | |
| Gynecological Infections 1 | 0 | 115 (53.4) | 145 (65.3) |
| 1 | 66 (30.7) | 55 (24.8) | |
| >2 | 34 (15.8) | 22 (9.9) | |
| History of BV | 80 (37.2) | 54 (24.3) | |
| History of UTI | 150 (69.7) | 117 (52.7) | |
| Antecedent Yeast infections | 0 | 118 (54.8) | 141 (63.5) |
| 1–4 | 62 (28.8) | 61 (27.5) | |
| ≥5 | 35 (16.2) | 19 (8.6) | |
| Post Yeast Infections | 0 | 58 (26.9) | 93 (41.9) |
| 1–4 | 76 (35.3) | 90 (40.5) | |
| ≥5 | 81 (37.6) | 39 (17.6) | |
| Allergenic exposures and relevant conditions and medications | |||
| Reported Antibiotic Use (>6 months) | 19 (8.8) | 13 (5.9) | |
| Any allergy 2 | 195 (90.7) | 181 (81.5) | |
| History of Hives | 86 (40) | 67 (30.2) | |
| History of Insect Stings 3 | 14 (6.5) | 8 (3.6) | |
| Seasonal allergies | 125 (58.1) | 111 (50.0) | |
| History of Autoimmune Disease 4 | 24 (11.1) | 15 (6.8) | |
| Positive History of Functional Somatic Syndromes 5 | 103 (47.9) | 44 (19.8) | |
| Antecedent Functional Somatic Syndromes | 61 (28.3) | 21 (9.5) | |
| Psychosocial Factors | |||
| History of mod/severe abuse | 125 (58.1) | 114 (51.4) | |
| Antecedent Anxiety | 68 (31.6) | 44 (19.8) | |
| Post Anxiety | 39 (18.1) | 31 (14.0) | |
| Antecedent Mood | 66 (30.7) | 50 (22.5) | |
| Post Mood | 49 (22.7) | 50 (22.5) | |
| Rumination (tertiles) | T1 | 56 (26.0) | 82 (36.9) |
| T2 | 63 (29.3) | 71 (32.0) | |
| T3 | 79 (36.7) | 59 (26.6) | |
| Microbiome Characteristics | |||
| Community State Type | CST1–2 | 113 (52.6) | 108 (48.7) |
| CST 3 | 34 (15.8) | 44 (19.8) | |
| CST 4–6 | 68 (31.6) | 70 (31.5) |
Gynecological Infections: Total number of gynecological infections (gonorrhea, genital warts, bacterial vaginosis, trichomoniasis, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, chlamydia, genital herpes)
Any allergy: Seasonal, sinus infections, contact dermatitis, medications, food
History of Stings: Greater than one sting with moderate and severe reaction.
Autoimmune conditions: Sjogren’s Syndrome, Crohn’s disease or Ulcerative Colitis, Diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis, Alopecia Areata, Celiac disease, Scleroderma, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Rheumatoid Arthritis
Functional Somatic Syndromes: Interstitial Cystitis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) disorder, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Fibromyalgia