Vulvar Pain : Associations Between First-Time Vaginal Intercourse, Tampon Insertion and Later Experiences of Pain

Abstract

This study examines associations between the first experience of vaginal intercourse/tampon insertion and later experiences of vulvar pain. The study is based on questionnaire-data from 1259 Swedish female senior high-schools students 18-22 years old. Of these, 592 women reported present vulvar pain. Present vulvar pain was associated with first-time experiences at vaginal intercourse (pain, negative experience, against will) and with pain at tampon insertion. First-time experiences were also related to temporal aspects of present vulvar pain during vaginal intercourse (at the beginning, after a while during and after). Implications of first-time experiences of vaginal intercourse for future symptoms of vulvar pain are discussed