Prevalence and incidence of prolonged and severe dyspareunia in women: results from a population study

Abstract

Aims: The principle aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and incidence of prolonged (≥6 months) and severe dyspareunia in a non-patient population of women, and to explore the rate of recovery as well as the inclination to seek medical care. Another aim was to compare the use of oral contraceptives among women who had ever had dyspareunia and those who had not. Methods: A total of 3,017 women aged 20—60 participating in a screening program for cervical cancer answered a questionnaire about possible painful coitus. Results: The prevalence was 9.3% for the whole group and 13% for women aged 20—29 and 6.5% for the women aged 50—60, with a risk ratio of 2.0 (95% CI 1.4—2.8) for the youngest age group compared with the oldest. The incidence risk ratio was 9.3 (95% CI 2.8—30.9) for the youngest age group compared with the oldest. Using age-specific incidence rates, a rising incidence of dyspareunia in young women was demonstrated. Of the women who had ever had prolonged and severe dyspareunia 28% had consulted a physician for their symptoms; 20% recovered after treatment, while 31% recovered spontaneously. No differences were found in the use of oral contraceptives between the women who had had dyspareunia and those who had not. Conclusions: Prolonged and severe dyspareunia is a great health problem among all women and especially young women, for whom a rising incidence of dyspareunia is suggested and discussed. Surprisingly few women have consulted a physician, raising the question of why this is the case and what can be done about it.

Keywords

dyspareunia epidemiology incidence oral contraceptives prevalence rate of recovery.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Goldberg M. , Wabrek AJ , Young RL Dyspareunia, an uncomfortable topic. Patient Care 1987; 21: 57—64.

Sarazin SK , Seymour SF Causes and treatment options for women with dyspareunia. Nurse Pract 1991; 16(10): 30, 35—8, 41.

Meana M. , Binik YM Painful coitus: a review of female dyspareunia. J Nerv Ment Dis 1994; 182(5): 264—72.

Semmens JP , Semmens F. Dyspareunia. Brief guide to office counseling. Med Aspects Hum Sexual 1974; 8: 85—6.

Rosen RC , Taylor JF , Leiblum SR , Bachmann GA Prevalence of sexual dysfunction in women: results of a survey study of 329 women in an outpatient gynecological clinic. J Sex Marital Ther 1993; 19(3): 171—88.

Jamieson DJ , Steege JF The prevalence of dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, pelvic pain, and irritable bowel syndrome in primary care practices. Obstet Gynecol 1996; 87(1): 55—8.

The National Institute of Public Health. Sex in Sweden. On the Swedish sexual life. Stockholm: National Institute of Public Health, 2000.

Nusbaum MR , Gamble G. , Skinner B. , Heiman J. The high prevalence of sexual concerns among women seeking routine gynecological care. J Fam Pract 2000; 49(3): 229—32.

Glatt AE , Zinner SH , M. Mw. The prevalence of dyspareunia. Obstet Gynecol 1990; 75(3 Pt 1): 433—6.

10.

Laumann EO , Gagnon JH , Michael RT , Michaels S. The social organization of sexuality: Sexual practices in the United States . Chicago: University of Chicago Press 1994.

11.

Laumann EO , Paik A. , Rosen RC Sexual dysfunction in the United States: prevalence and predictors . JAMA 1999; 281(6): 537—44.

12.

Friedrich EG , Jr. Vulvar vestibulitis syndrome. J Reprod Med 1987; 32(2): 110—14.

13.

Reid R. , Omoto KH , Precop SL , Berman NR , Rutledge LH , Dean SM , et al. Flashlamp-excited dye laser therapy of idiopathic vulvodynia is safe and efficacious. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1995; 172(6): 1684—96, discussion 1696—1701.

14.

Friedrich EG , Jr. Therapeutic studies on vulvar vestibulitis . J Reprod Med 1988; 33(6): 514—18.

15.

Meana M. , Binik YM , Khalife S. , Cohen DR Biopsychosocial profile of women with dyspareunia. Obstet Gynecol 1997; 90(4 Pt 1): 583—9.

16.

Bazin S. , Bouchard C. , Brisson J. , Morin C. , Meisels A. , Fortier M. Vulvar vestibulitis syndrome: an exploratory case-control study. Obstet Gynecol 1994; 83: 47—50.

17.

Sjöberg I. , Nylander Lundqvist E. Vulvar vestibulities in the north of Sweden. An epidemiologic case-control study. J Reprod Med 1997; 42: 166—8.

18.

Pena R. , Liljestrand J. , Zelaya E. , Persson LA Fertility and infant mortality trends in Nicaragua 1964—1993. The role of women's education. J Epidemiol Community Health 1999; 53(3): 132—7.

19.

Bryant HE , Visser N. , Love EJ Records, recall loss, and recall bias in pregnancy: a comparison of interview and medical records data of pregnant and postnatal women. Am J Public Health 1989; 79(1): 78—80.

20.

Carey TS , Garrett J. , Jackman A. , Sanders L. , Kalsbeek W. Reporting of acute low back pain in a telephone interview. Identification of potential biases. Spin 1995; 20(7): 787—90.

21.

Paganini-Hill A. , Chao A. Accuracy of recall of hip fracture, heart attack, and cancer: a comparison of postal survey data and medical records . Am J Epidemiol 1993; 138(2): 101—6.

22.

Kehoe R. , Wu SY , Leske MC , Chylack LT, Jr. Comparing self-reported and physician-reported medical history. Am J Epidemiol 1994; 139(8): 13—18.

23.

Dunne MP , Martin NG , Statham DJ , Pangan T. , Madden PA , Heath AC The consistency of recalled age at first sexual intercourse. J Biosoc Sci 1997; 29(1): 1—7.

24.

Coughlin SS Recall bias in epidemiologic studies [see comments] . J Clin Epidemol 1990; 43(1): 87—91.

25.

Irving G. , Miller D. , Robinson A. , Reynolds S. , Copas AJ Psychological factors associated with recurrent vaginal candidiasis: a preliminary study. Sex Transm Infect 1998 ; 74(5): 334—8.

26.

Nyirjesy P. Chronic vulvovaginal candidiasis. Am Fam Physician 2001; 63(4): 697—702.

27.

Sobel JD Candidat vulvovaginitis. Clin Obstet Gynecol 1993; 36(1): 153—65.

28.

Danielsson I. , Sjoberg I. , Wikman M. Vulvar vestibulitis: medical, psychosexual and psychosocial aspects, a case-control study. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2000; 79(10): 872—8.

29.

White G. , Jantos M. Sexual behavior changes with vulvar vestibulitis syndrome. J Reprod Med 1998; 43(9): 783—9.

30.

Sundström K. How do other people do it? On sexuality and sexual relationships in Sweden in the 1990s. [Hur gör dom andra? Om sexualitet och samlevnad på 1990-talet.] Stockholm: Folkhälsoinstitutet , 2000.