The feeling of discomfort during vaginal examination, history of abuse and sexual abuse and post‐traumatic stress disorder in women

Aims and objectives To examine the feeling of discomfort during vaginal examinations, history of abuse and sexual abuse and post‐traumatic stress disorder in women to determine the correlation between these variables. Background Women who have experienced abuse or sexual abuse may feel more discomfort during vaginal examinations and may perceive a sensation similar to what they experienced during sexual abuse. Design Cross‐sectional. Methods This study included 320 women receiving a vaginal examination. The data were collected using a questionnaire composed of items related to descriptive characteristics, vaginal examinations and violence, a visual analogue scale of discomfort, and the Post‐Traumatic Stress Disorder Scale‐civilian version. Results The mean score for the feeling of discomfort during vaginal examinations was 3·92 ± 3·34; 26·3% of the women described discomfort. Thirty‐eight (12%) of the 320 women had experienced emotional violence, 25 (8%) had experienced physical violence, and 25 (8%) had been forced into sexual intercourse by their spouses. Of the women, 64·7% suffered from post‐traumatic stress disorder, and physical, emotional and sexual violence were found to increase the possibility of this disorder. Exposure to emotional violence increased the possibility of discomfort during vaginal examinations by 4·5 (OR = 4·482; 95% CI = 1·421–14·134). Post‐traumatic stress disorder (OR = 1·038; 95% CI = 1·009–1·066) was found to increase the possibility of discomfort during vaginal examinations; however, as the number of live births increases, women reported a reduction in their discomfort with vaginal examinations. Conclusion This study revealed a positive correlation between discomfort during vaginal examinations and emotional violence and post‐traumatic stress disorder but a negative correlation between discomfort during vaginal examinations and the number of live births. In addition, having a history of abuse and sexual abuse was found to increase post‐traumatic stress disorder. Relevance to clinical practice Considering these findings during vaginal examinations may help change women's experiences for the positive and reduce the trauma, this procedure may cause.