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Vaginal microbiological flora, and behavioural and clinical findings in women with vulvar pain

  1. Krasimira Tchoudomirova1,
  2. Per-Anders Mårdh2,
  3. Dan Hellberg3

Article first published online: 22 DEC 2003

DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2001.00114.x

Issue

BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Volume 108, Issue 5, pages 451–455, May 2001

Additional Information

How to Cite

Tchoudomirova, K., Mårdh, P.-A. and Hellberg, D. (2001), Vaginal microbiological flora, and behavioural and clinical findings in women with vulvar pain. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 108: 451–455. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2001.00114.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Venerology, University Hospital, Bulgaria

  2. 2

    Institute of Clinical Bacteriology, University Hospital, Sweden

  3. 3

    Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Falun Hospital, Sweden

**Corresponding: Dr D. Hellberg, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Falun Hospital, S-791 82 Falun, Sweden

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 22 DEC 2003
  2. Article first published online: 22 DEC 2003
  3. Accepted 21 November 2000

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Objective To study genital symptoms and signs in women with vulvar pain, and the association with potential risk factors such as microbiological agents, sexual behaviour and genital hygiene.

Design Prospective cohort study of apparently healthy women attending for contraceptive advice.

Setting Two family planning clinics and one youth clinic in Sweden.

Population Out of 996 women recruited, 79 women (7.9%) had, on request, complaints of current burning and smarting vulvar pain and/or superficial dyspareunia (our definition of vulvar pain) while 917 women without such symptoms served as controls.

Results Complaints of dysmenorrhoea, vaginal discharge, genito-anal pruritus, dysuria, and abdominal pain were more frequent in the study group, than in the control group. In the women with vulvar pain, erythemas, superficial ulcerations, and fissures were found significantly more frequently. Vaginal candidosis was the only current genital infection that occurred more often in the study group, than among the controls. There were no differences in the history of gonorrhoea, genital chlamydial infection, genital herpes, genital warts, and candidosis between the two groups. The sexual debut of the women with vulvar pain occurred later in life, compared with the control group. Control subjects were more likely to use tampons for menstrual sanitation, than the women with vulvar pain.

Conclusions Neither infectious conditions caused by current known agents, with the exception of candidosis in some cases, nor behavioural factors, such as sexual behaviour and genital hygiene habits could in this study explain vulvar pain.

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