THE RISK-FACTORS FOR SEXUALLY-TRANSMITTED DISEASES IN WOMEN WHO USE, AND DO NOT USE TAMPONS, ATTENDING A GYNECOLOGY CLINIC

Abstract

This cross sectional study compares the risk factors for sexually transmitted diseases between women who use and do not use tampons attending a gynaecology clinic. The sample consists of English speaking women between 18-35 years of age attending a gynaecology clinic at The Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne. Two hundred and ninety eight women who used tampons and 68 who did not are included in the sample. The mean age of the two groups was similar (27.0 vs 26.3, p = 0.31), while tampon-users had a younger age at first intercourse (16.8 vs 18.5, p = 0.00003), a greater number of sexual partners, both during their life time (6.1 vs 2.1, p < 0.001) and in the last year before enrollment (0.6 vs..