Early Age at First Sexual Intercourse is Associated with Higher Prevalence of High-grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions (HSIL)

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the association of age at first sexual intercourse with the results of the cervicovaginal cytology. Study Design Observational analytical study about the prevalence of altered cervicovaginal cytology results in women aged between 18 and 34 years from a densely populated area in Brazil, during 10 years. The patients were stratified into 2 categories according to their age at first sexual intercourse (13-16 years and 17-24 years).Results From the total of 2,505,154 exams, 898,921 tests were in accordance with the inclusion criteria. Considering women with 4 years or less from the first sexual intercourse as a reference, those with 5 to 9 years and 10 years or more showed a higher prevalence of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSILs). Women with an earlier onset of sexual intercourse (13-16 years) showed higher prevalence ratios for atypical squamous cells (ASC), low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) and HSIL. The prevalence ratio for HSIL adjusted by age at diagnosis and by age at first sexual intercourse was higher only for women with an earlier onset of sexual intercourse. Conclusions The age of first sexual intercourse could be a variable that might qualify the selection among young women who are really at a higher risk for HSIL. ResumoObjetivo Avaliar a associação entre idade de início da atividade sexual e os resultados de citologia cervico-vaginal. Métodos Estudo observacional sobre a prevalência dos resultados de citologia cervico-vaginal alterados em mulheres com idade entre 18 e 34 anos na região de

Cervical cancer awareness and presence of abnormal cytology among HIV-infected women on antiretroviral therapy in rural Andhra Pradesh, India

“…This finding is inconsistent with previous literature, which found that younger age at first sexual intercourse is positively associated with HPV infection, abnormal cytology, and invasive cervical cancer. [33][34][35] Notably, participants who reported first sexual encounter at >16 years were also more likely to report having two or more sexual partners in their lifetime (data not shown).…”

Female Secondary School Students Sexual Exposure, Anti HPV Vaccine Awareness and Practice in High Cervical Cancer Prevalence Environment

“…Early age of first intercourse is associated with an increased risk of cervical pre-malignant lesions and CC in developing countries [21][22]. This study has shown that 30.4% of middle school female student were sexually active and earliest first sexual intercourse was at 12 years and was in urban school (Figures 2 and 3).…”

“…In Yaoundé, 741 (73.1%) attended grammar school and 270 (26.9%) technical middle school; in the rural town of Ndikinemeki, 242 (60.5%) attended grammar school and 58 (39.5%) technical middle school. The majority of students were aged [15-18[ in urban middle school (Yaoundé) and [18][19][20][21] in rural middle school (Ndikinemeki). Four hundred (30.4%) students were sexually active; 14 refused to answer, the youngest was 12 in urban area and 14 in rural area, all the ages were represented.…”

“…In Cameroon, the [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] age group represents 31.9% of female population [11], and many of these adolescents engage in risky sexual activity without protection [12]. In Brazil, 38.7% of female middle school students (adolescent) were sexually active while in Tanzania, it was 40.2%, 17.6% of them had multiple partners [13,14].…”

Association between high‐grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, age, and number and interval of smears in women in Araçatuba, Brazil

“…The number of patients aged between 20 and 24 years was also not irrelevant. On the basis of findings showing a close relation between the age of first sexual intercourse and a diagnosis of HSIL or more in young patients, screening of patients younger than 25 years ages might be beneficial.…”