Correlates of Cervicovaginal Human Papillomavirus Detection in Perimenopausal Women

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this research was to determine correlates of prevalent cervicovaginal human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in perimenopausal women. METHODS: A total of 178 women, ages 40-60, were recruited from four clinics in the metropolitan area of Baltimore, Maryland. A self-collected cervicovaginal specimen and questionnaire were completed following enrollment and consent. HPV was detected by L1 consensus polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and genotyped using a prototype line blot assay. Adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) from Poisson regression models with robust variance identified correlates of prevalent HPV infection. RESULTS: Prevalence of any HPV genotype at baseline among 172 women with complete data was 20% (6% for high-risk HPV). HPV prevalence was higher among single compared to married women (aPR = 4.3 95% CI: 2.0, 9.5), and among women with >or=2 sex partners in the last six months compared to women who reported none (aPR = 4.9 1.7, 13.9) after adjustment for confounders. Menopausal stage was also associated with HPV detection, with increased prevalence among perimenopausal compared to premenopausal women (aPR 2.3 1.1, 5.1), after adjustment for confounders. Age was moderately correlated with menopausal staging (r = 0.57). CONCLUSIONS: Our observations suggest the independent associations of sexual behavior and hormones on prevalent HPV in perimenopausal women. Age was not a good surrogate for menopausal stage, as it was only moderately correlated with menopausal stage.