Sexual behavior and high-risk human papillomavirus in 15- to 22-year-old Lithuanian women.

We determined the risk of high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection in 169 15- to 22-year-old sexually active Lithuanian women attending two outpatient clinics in Vilnius. The Digene(®) Hybrid Capture II DNA test was used to test for HR-HPV infection on material collected by cervical swabs. The findings were compared with the pattern of sexual behavior as given in questionnaire replies. The overall risk of HR-HPV was 23.1%, but 60.0% in adolescents ≤15 years old. Mean age at first intercourse was 17.1 years; 73.5% of women had only had one sexual partner and 24.5% more than one. The risk of HR-HPV was higher in women with more than one sexual partner, and related to being a smoker and to early age at the first intercourse. Our results confirm that smoking, early coitarche, multiple sexual partners and unprotected vaginal intercourse are related to the risk of HR-HPV infection in young women.