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 ≥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.