Reed, BD; Mckee, KS; Plegue, MA; Park, SK; Haefner, HK; Harlow, SD
Background: Risk factors for vulvodynia continue to be elusive. We evaluated the association between past environmental exposures and the presence of vulvodynia.
Materials and Methods: The history of 28 lifetime environmental exposures was queried in the longitudinal population-based Woman-to-Woman Health Study on the 24-month follow-up survey. Relationships between these and vulvodynia case status were assessed using multinomial logistic regression.
Results: Overall, 1585 women completed the 24-month survey, the required covariate responses, and questions required for case status assessment. Screening positive as a vulvodynia case was associated with history of exposures to home-sprayed chemicals (insecticides, fungicides, herbicides—odds ratio [OR] 2.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.71–3.58, p < 0.0001), home rodent poison and mothballs (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.25–2.09, p < 0.001), working with solvents and paints (OR 2.49, 95% CI 1.68–3.70, p < 0.0001), working as a housekeeper/maid (OR 2.07, 95% CI 1.42–3.00, p < 0.0001), working as a manicurist/hairdresser (OR 2.00, 95% CI 1.14–3.53, p < 0.05), and working at a dry cleaning facility (OR 2.13, 95% CI 1.08–4.19, p < 0.05). When classified into nine individual environmental exposure categories and all included in the same model, significant associations remained for four categories (home-sprayed chemicals, home rodent poison or mothballs, paints and solvents, and working as a housekeeper).
Conclusions: This preliminary evaluation suggests a positive association between vulvodynia and the reported history of exposures to a number of household and work-related environmental toxins. Further investigation of timing and dose of environmental exposures, relationship to clinical course, and treatment outcomes is warranted.
