Table 1.
Baseline Demographics of Sample (N = 443)
| Characteristic | Cases (n = 220) | Controls (n = 223) |
|---|---|---|
| Current age (years), mean (SD) | 29.6 (5.3) | 32.7 (5.1) |
| Reference age (years), mean (SD) | 21.2 (5.5) | 21.4 (5.6) |
| Race, n (%) | ||
| White | 203 (92.3) | 207 (92.8) |
| Non-white | 17 (7.7) | 16 (7.2) |
| Age (years) of menarche, n (%) | ||
| ≤10 | 16 (7.3) | 20 (9.0) |
| 11 | 34 (15.5) | 25 (11.2) |
| 12 | 59 (26.8) | 69 (30.9) |
| 13 | 58 (26.4) | 48 (21.5) |
| 14 | 30 (13.6) | 41 (18.4) |
| ≥15 | 23 (10.4) | 20 (9.0) |
| Age (years) of first vaginal intercourse (5 cases and 5 controls missing), n (%) | ||
| <16 | 44 (20.0) | 48 (21.5) |
| 16–17 | 53 (24.1) | 64 (28.7) |
| ≥18 | 118 (53.6) | 106 (47.5) |
| Lifetime vaginal intercourse partners (6 cases and 1 control missing), n (%) | ||
| ≤2 | 62 (28.2) | 65 (29.2) |
| 3–6 | 66 (30.0) | 56 (25.1) |
| 7–12 | 48 (21.8) | 56 (25.1) |
| >12 | 38 (17.3) | 45 (20.2) |
| History of physical or sexual abuse before age 11a (4 cases missing), n (%) | ||
| None | 88 (40.0) | 108 (48.4) |
| Moderate | 40 (18.2) | 54 (24.2) |
| Severe | 88 (40.0) | 61 (27.4) |
| History of anxiety (2 cases and 1 control missing), n (%) | ||
| Yes, diagnosed | 66 (30.0) | 31 (13.9) |
| Yes, not diagnosed | 27 (12.3) | 29 (13.9) |
| No | 125 (56.8) | 162 (72.7) |
| History of depression (2 controls missing), n (%) | ||
| Yes, diagnosed | 69 (31.4) | 52 (23.3) |
| Yes, not diagnosed | 15 (6.8) | 24 (10.8) |
| No | 136 (61.8) | 145 (65.0) |
| History of bacterial vaginosis, n (%) | ||
| Yes | 29 (13.2) | 17 (7.6) |
| No | 191 (86.8) | 206 (92.4) |
| Ever had a urinary tract infection, n (%) | ||
| Yes | 98 (44.6) | 66 (30.1) |
| No | 122 (55.5) | 153 (69.9) |
| History of chronic constipation (1 control missing), n (%) | ||
| Yes | 20 (9.1) | 5 (2.2) |
| No | 200 (90.9) | 217 (97.3) |
| Any allergies to medications (1 case and 1 control missing), n (%) | ||
| Yes | 78 (35.5) | 50 (22.4) |
| No | 141 (64.1) | 172 (77.1) |
| History of chronic pain or fatigue disordersb, n (%) | ||
| Yes | 62 (28.2) | 21 (9.4) |
| No | 158 (71.8) | 202 (90.6) |
| Hormonal contraceptive use before age 18, n (%) | ||
| Yes | 147 (66.8) | 128 (57.4) |
| No | 73 (33.2) | 95 (42.6) |
| Hormonal contraceptive use in the year before reference agec, n (%) | ||
| Yes | 155 (70.5) | 122 (54.7) |
| No | 65 (29.6) | 101 (45.3) |
| Hormonal contraceptive use at time of survey, n (%) | ||
| Yes | 107 (48.6) | 87 (39.0) |
| No | 113 (51.4) | 136 (61.0) |
| Endometriosis, n (%) | ||
| Yes | 27 (12.3) | 13 (5.8) |
| No | 193 (87.7) | 210 (94.2) |
| Polycystic ovarian syndrome, n (%) | ||
| Yes | 10 (4.6) | 14 (6.4) |
| No | 210 (95.5) | 205 (93.6) |
| Age (years) of first tampon use (10 cases and 3 controls missing), n (%) | ||
| ≤10 | 2 (0.9) | 1 (0.5) |
| 11 | 6 (2.7) | 10 (4.5) |
| 12–13 | 67 (30.5) | 59 (26.5) |
| 14 | 37 (16.8) | 47 (21.1) |
| ≥15 | 98 (44.6) | 103 (46.2) |
| Pain or difficulty with first tampon use (1 case and 1 control missing), n (%) | ||
| Never used tampons | 5 (2.3) | 2 (0.9) |
| No difficulty/difficulty, but no pain | 51 (23.2) | 137 (61.4) |
| Difficulty and some pain | 106 (48.2) | 73 (32.7) |
| Difficulty, with great pain | 57 (25.9) | 10 (4.5) |
| Ever stopped tampon use due to pain (1 case missing), n (%) | ||
| Yes | 98 (44.6) | 9 (4.0) |
| No | 121 (55.0) | 214 (96.0) |
a
Categorization of abuse: none, no incidents of abuse; moderate, one to four instances of physical or sexual abuse; severe, five or more instances of physical or sexual abuse.
b
Chronic pain or fatigue disorders included interstitial cystitis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, and temporomandibular joint disorder.
c
Reference age was the year of onset of vulvar pain for cases with vulvodynia and the same age for matched controls.
SD, standard deviation.