Pelvic inflammatory disease: the influence of contraceptive, sexual, and social life events.

In order to determine associations between pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and contraceptive, sexual, and social life events, 620 Danish women aged 15-54 were invited to participate in an in-depth interview. Of 585 participating women, 459 were consecutive gynecological in- or outpatients, and 126 were randomly selected from visitors in general practice. Data were analyzed by multivariate test statistics. The mean number of PIDs thereby retrospectively assessed was 1.0. Two-thirds had never had PID, one third had had on average 3 PIDs. The sexual parameter which had the highest predictive value for later PID was the coital debut. Women with coital debut before the 16th year had double the number of PIDs, as women with sexual debut at age 18 or later. Likewise, the mean coital frequency was positively correlated to the number of PIDs. The number of sexual partners, on the other hand, was merely a risk-indicator without a direct influence on PID. Women who used barrier methods (condom and/or diaphragm) for 2 years or more had 23% fewer PIDs than women who had used barrier methods for less than two years. The small number of PIDs among women at high socioeconomic levels could be explained alone by a later coital debut and longer use of barrier methods than that among women at low socioeconomic levels.