Table 1.
Overview of participant characteristics
| Variable category | Low inflammation (n=6) | Medium inflammation (n=25) | High Inflammation (n=12) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnicity (Caucasian) no., % | 5 (83%) | 22 (88%) | 9 (75%) | 0.598^ |
| Age (median ± SD; range) | 25 ± 11.2 (19–46) | 37 ± 12.1 (21–64) | 42.5 ± 24.04 (23–88) | 0.171χ |
| Vaginal pH (median ± SD; range) | 4.25 ± 0.24 (4.0–4.7) | 4.7 ± 0.44 (4.0–5.5) | 4.8 ± 0.46 (4.0–5.8) | 0.034χ |
| BV+ (Amsel criteria), no., % | 0 (0%) | 4 (16%) | 4 (33%) | 0.248^ |
| Vaginal symptoms in the past month, any (no., %)a | 4 (67%) | 9 (36%) | 3 (25%) | 0.222^ |
| Ectopy (no., %) | 0 (0%) | 7 (28%) | 3 (25%) | 0.473^ |
| Any intercourse past 30 days | 4 (67%) | 15 (60%) | 4 (42%) | 0.631^ |
| Condom use (no., %) | 0 (0%) | 6 (24%) | 3 (25%) | 0.598^ |
| Any birth control use |
1 (17%) Oral—1 |
10 (40%) Oral—2 Ring—2 IUD—6 |
2 (17%) Oral—1 IUD—1 |
0.328^ |
| Any STI, ever (no., %) | 0 (0%) | 10 (40%) | 2 (17%) | 0.117^ |
| Lactobacillus dominant microbiome | 6 (100%) | 16 (64%) | 7 (58%) | 0.184^ |
^p value calculated using Monte Carlo to stimulate p value with Fisher’s exact test, based on 2000 iterations
χp value calculated using the Kruskal-Wallis test
aSelf-reported vaginal symptoms including pain, discomfort, itchiness, discharge, bleeding