{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T23:37:56Z","timestamp":1790811476090,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":22,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,1]],"date-time":"2022-04-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1648771200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Journal of Women's Health"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2022,4]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Chronic vulvar pain is a prevalent but often misdiagnosed and undertreated condition that adversely impacts quality of life. A large proportion of women report not seeking care for chronic vulvar pain, but little is known about the factors that underlie care-seeking decisions.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Materials and Methods:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We used a large, population-based survey of women aged 18\u201340 years to assess a history of chronic vulvar burning, pain on contact, or itching that had lasted \u22653 months. The survey also captured demographic characteristics and comorbidities. Women were asked if they had ever sought care for their chronic vulvar condition. Demographic characteristics and comorbidities were evaluated across pain categories and by care-seeking behaviors.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A higher proportion of women who described their pain as burning only and both burning and pain on contact had sought care for their pain (69.2% and 85.2%, respectively) compared with pain on contact only (41.8%). Women who described their pain as pain on contact only were also less likely to see multiple providers and to have ever received treatment for their pain. Care seekers were more likely to be married, have a college education, have a normal body mass index, and have multiple gynecologic comorbidities.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Our study suggests that care-seeking behavior varies by pain type. Less than half of women who characterized their pain as pain on contact had sought medical care. Those who did seek care reported seeing fewer providers than those who experienced burning. Providers may wish to proactively ask patients about pain on contact.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1089\/jwh.2021.0086","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,14]],"date-time":"2021-09-14T16:50:01Z","timestamp":1631638201000},"page":"513-520","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["Care Seeking for Chronic Vulvar Pain Among a Large, Population-Based Sample of Reproductive-Aged Women"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"31","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2988-7755","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Julia C.","family":"Bond","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6735-8862","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bernard L.","family":"Harlow","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Katharine O.","family":"White","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA."},{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_4_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pain.2011.01.035"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_3_2","first-page":"82","article-title":"A population-based assessment of chronic unexplained vulvar pain: Have we underestimated the prevalence of vulvodynia?","volume":"58","author":"Harlow BL","year":"2003","unstructured":"Harlow BL, , Stewart EG. A population-based assessment of chronic unexplained vulvar pain: Have we underestimated the prevalence of vulvodynia?. J Am Med Wom Assoc, 2003; 58:82.","journal-title":"J Am Med Wom Assoc"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jaad.2008.06.032"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_5_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/01.AOG.0000199951.26822.27"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_6_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10508-007-9204-1"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_7_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1743-6109.2009.01631.x"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_8_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.281.6.537"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_9_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ajog.2011.08.012"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_10_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ajog.2013.09.033"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_11_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/14034940210134040"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_12_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1743-6109.2010.02150.x"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_13_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/00926230600666469"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_14_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1089\/jwh.2010.2152"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_15_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1089\/jwh.2008.1133"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_16_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.annepidem.2015.03.015"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_17_2","author":"Feagin J","unstructured":"Feagin J, , Bennefield Z. Systemic racism and US health care. Soc Sci Med 2014;103,7\u201314.","journal-title":"Soc Sci Med"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_18_2","first-page":"330","article-title":"The association between perceived provider discrimination, health care utilization, and health status in racial and ethnic minorities","volume":"19","author":"Lee C","year":"2009","unstructured":"Lee C, , Ayers SL, , Kronenfeld JJ. The association between perceived provider discrimination, health care utilization, and health status in racial and ethnic minorities. Ethn Dis, 2009; 19:330\u2013337.","journal-title":"Ethn Dis"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_19_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1089\/jwh.2015.5637"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_20_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1743-6109.2010.01857.x"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_21_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1743-6109.2012.02823.x"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_22_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1745-7599.2002.tb00089.x"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_23_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/AOG.0b013e318180965b"}],"container-title":["Journal of Women's Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1089\/jwh.2021.0086","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1089\/jwh.2021.0086","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1089\/jwh.2021.0086","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,1]],"date-time":"2026-05-01T17:55:09Z","timestamp":1777658109000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1089\/jwh.2021.0086"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2022,4]]},"references-count":22,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2022,4]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1089\/jwh.2021.0086"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1089\/jwh.2021.0086","relation":{},"ISSN":["1540-9996","1931-843X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1540-9996","type":"print"},{"value":"1931-843X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2022,4]]}}}