Table 3.
Adjusted Odds Ratios for Menstrual Protection Characteristics and Vulvodynia
| Self-reported menstrual protection characteristic | Time period |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time between the first period and the year before reference age or 18 years old, whichever was youngera,b |
Year before reference agea,c |
3 Months before surveyd |
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| Cases (n = 219) (%) | Controls (n = 223) (%) | Adjustede OR (95% CI) | Cases (n = 199) (%) | Controls (n = 204) (%) | Adjustede OR (95% CI) | Cases (n = 179) (%) | Controls (n = 194) (%) | Adjustede OR (95% CI) | |
| How often use only tampons | |||||||||
| Never | 41.1 | 37.2 | 1.26 (0.78–2.02) | 36.7 | 27.1 | 2.28 (1.37–3.80) | 38.0 | 25.8 | 2.66 (1.57–4.51) |
| Rarely/sometimes | 33.3 | 33.6 | 1.11 (0.68–1.82) | 24.1 | 25.1 | 1.17 (0.68–1.99) | 24.0 | 26.3 | 1.23 (0.71–2.13) |
| Usually/always | 25.6 | 29.2 | 1.0 | 39.2 | 47.8 | 1.0 | 38.0 | 47.9 | 1.0 |
| How often use tampons with panty liner or pad | |||||||||
| Never | 44.3 | 44.0 | 1.0 | 41.7 | 36.0 | 1.0 | 44.7 | 42.8 | 1.0 |
| Rarely/sometimes | 32.9 | 35.4 | 0.92 (0.60–1.42) | 33.7 | 37.9 | 0.69 (0.43–1.14) | 28.5 | 34.0 | 0.81 (0.49–1.35) |
| Usually/always | 22.8 | 20.6 | 1.04 (0.64–1.73) | 24.6 | 26.1 | 0.78 (0.46–1.34) | 26.8 | 23.2 | 1.15 (0.67–1.97) |
| How often use only maxi pads | |||||||||
| Never | 16.9 | 18.8 | 1.0 | 35.2 | 35.5 | 1.0 | 41.3 | 45.4 | 1.0 |
| Rarely/sometimes | 37.4 | 42.6 | 1.01 (0.59–1.74) | 34.2 | 43.4 | 0.90 (0.55–1.48) | 36.3 | 37.1 | 1.16 (0.71–1.88) |
| Usually/always | 45.7 | 38.6 | 1.33 (0.78–2.30) | 30.7 | 21.2 | 2.09 (1.18–3.67) | 22.4 | 17.5 | 1.80 (0.99–3.26) |
| Menstrual protection usually used | |||||||||
| Tampons only | 20.6 | 25.6 | 1.0 | 34.7 | 49.4 | 1.0 | 33.0 | 44.3 | 1.0 |
| Pads only | 43.4 | 33.2 | 1.72 (1.03–2.87) | 27.1 | 16.3 | 2.76 (1.52–5.01) | 21.2 | 10.8 | 3.91 (1.98–7.73) |
| Combination | 36.1 | 41.3 | 1.14 (0.69–1.89) | 38.2 | 44.3 | 1.12 (0.69–1.81) | 45.8 | 44.9 | 1.48 (0.91–2.39) |
| Use of panty liners on average per month | |||||||||
| Never | 34.7 | 39.9 | 1.0 | 33.2 | 38.7 | 1.0 | 30.7 | 38.1 | 1.0 |
| 1–6 days | 48.0 | 48.4 | 1.16 (0.77–1.76) | 47.7 | 49.0 | 1.26 (0.79–2.00) | 45.8 | 47.4 | 1.27 (0.78–2.08) |
| 7–12 days | 11.9 | 8.1 | 1.88 (0.94–3.78) | 12.1 | 8.8 | 1.88 (0.90–3.94) | 11.7 | 7.7 | 2.81 (1.25–6.32) |
| 13+ days | 5.5 | 3.6 | 1.59 (0.61–4.15) | 7.0 | 3.4 | 2.53 (0.90–7.09) | 11.7 | 6.7 | 2.57 (1.13–5.87) |
| Discomfort while inserting tampon | |||||||||
| No tampon use | 24.2 | 20.6 | 2.76 (1.55–4.92) | 17.6 | 11.8 | 5.57 (2.83–10.97) | |||
| No discomfort | 15.5 | 35.0 | 1.0 | 26.6 | 68.1 | 1.0 | |||
| Mild discomfort | 33.8 | 36.3 | 2.22 (1.32–3.74) | 36.7 | 17.7 | 5.94 (3.40–10.39) | |||
| Moderate/severe discomfort | 26.5 | 8.1 | 7.18 (3.66–14.06) | 19.1 | 2.5 | 19.84 (7.11–55.31) | |||
| Discomfort while using tampon | |||||||||
| No tampon use | 25.1 | 21.1 | 2.23 (1.36–3.67) | 17.6 | 11.3 | 4.05 (2.12–7.75) | |||
| No discomfort | 30.1 | 56.1 | 1.0 | 42.9 | 78.8 | 1.0 | |||
| Mild discomfort | 27.9 | 19.3 | 2.66 (1.61–4.37) | 26.2 | 8.4 | 6.64 (3.37–13.07) | |||
| Moderate/severe discomfort | 16.9 | 3.6 | 7.93 (3.46–18.14) | 13.1 | 1.5 | 17.65 (4.99–62.49) | |||
| Discomfort removing tampon | |||||||||
| No tampon use | 25.1 | 21.6 | 2.54 (1.52–4.23) | 17.6 | 12.3 | 5.11 (2.64–9.88) | |||
| No discomfort | 24.2 | 53.2 | 1.0 | 28.1 | 73.5 | 1.0 | |||
| Mild discomfort | 32.0 | 22.1 | 3.07 (1.87–5.04) | 34.7 | 13.2 | 6.03 (3.40–10,70) | |||
| Moderate/severe discomfort | 18.7 | 3.2 | 11.78 (4.94–28.12) | 19.6 | 1.0 | 51.65 (11.72–227.52) | |||
a
Reference age was the year of onset of vulvar pain for cases with vulvodynia and the same age for matched controls.
b
Excludes 1 case who was not menstruating during this time period.
c
Excludes 21 cases and 19 controls who were no longer menstruating during this time period.
d
Excludes 41 cases and 29 controls who were no longer menstruating during this time period.
e
Model was adjusted for age at menarche (continuous) and history of physical or sexual abuse before age 11 (no incidents of abuse, one to four instances of physical or sexual abuse, and five or more instances of physical or sexual abuse).