{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,28]],"date-time":"2026-08-28T15:07:07Z","timestamp":1787929627623,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,2]],"date-time":"2025-08-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1754092800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/pages\/standard-publication-reuse-rights"}],"funder":[{"name":"University Department Projects","award":["\u201cXXX\u201d of 2021"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["\u201cXXX\u201d of 2021"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,4]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Past research suggests that oral contraceptive (OC) use increases the risk for vulvodynia\/vestibulodynia, although results are often mixed or inconsistent.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Aim<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>To test whether OC use is associated with having a diagnosis of vulvodynia\/vestibulodynia, whether the observed association varies across the type of OC, and whether side effects associated with OC use (ie, genital specific, negative affect, non-genital physical symptoms) are associated with having a diagnosis of vulvodynia\/vestibulodynia.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>A sample of n\u00a0=\u20092171 adult females completed a questionnaire regarding OC use and associated side effects, and provided information on having a diagnosis of vulvodynia or vestibulodynia. Recruitment oversampled for women with genitopelvic pain, which provided n\u00a0=\u2009582 women (26.8% of overall sample) who had a diagnosis of vulvodynia or vestibulodynia. Binary logistic regressions were conducted to test for associations.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Outcome<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Self-report of having received a diagnosis of vulvodynia or vestibulodynia.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Results showed that all types of OCs were significantly associated with having a diagnosis, and that genital-specific side effects (vulvar\/genital pain and vaginal dryness), but not affective or non-genital physical side effects, were associated with having a diagnosis of vulvodynia\/vestibulodynia, with the strongest and most consistent effect being for vulvar\/genital pain. Specifically, participants who reported vulvar\/genital pain as a side effect of OC use were 3-5 times more likely than those without this side effect to have a diagnosis of vulvodynia\/vestibulodynia. Analyses also controlled for 23 potential comorbid diagnoses with no or very little change to the associations between vulvodynia\/vestibulodynia and the OC-use variables.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Clinical Implications<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Early recognition and identification of genital-specific side effects of OC use may provide an opportunity for preventing genital pain from becoming chronic and difficult to manage.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Strengths and Limitations<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>This study uses a large sample, assesses unique associations with combined and progestin-only OCs, and for the first time addresses diverse OC-related side effects as potential risk indicators of vulvodynia. Limitations are the lack of prospective data, reliance on self-report measures, recruitment through social media outlets that may result in overestimating the effect sizes, and a lack of information on specific OCs used.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>The present study provides evidence that OC use and genital-specific side effects of OC use are associated with having a diagnosis of vulvodynia\/vestibulodynia and provides important information for managing potential OC-related risk for vulvodynia\/vestibulodynia.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1093\/jsxmed\/qdaf178","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,8]],"date-time":"2025-07-08T07:31:35Z","timestamp":1751959895000},"page":"1629-1639","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Oral contraceptive use and prevalence of vulvodynia: are genital-specific side effects of 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