Coitus during menstruation and cervical cancer

Cervical cancer is a preventable disease and we can determined preventive methods by discovering ethiology of disease. There are no appropriate research about the relation between coitus during menstruation and cervical cancer in Iran. This study is done to investigate the relationship between coitus during menstruation and cervical cancer in women referring to health care centers of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in 2007-2008. Methods and Materials: This case-control study was carried out on 100 patients with cervical cancer (case) and 100 healthy women (control). All participates were Moslem with Iranian nationality and habitant in Iran. They had no previous history of frequent pelvic radiotherapy and alcohol consumption. Two groups were matched with; age, age of first coitus, age of first vaginal delivery, parity and type of delivery. Data was collected through structured interview and analyzed using Chi-square and logistic-regression. The study showed that 40% of case group and 10% of control group had coitus during menstruation. Coitus during menstruation in case group was 6 times more than control group (p<0.0001, odds ratio =6.0, CI= 2.7-12.9). Coitus during menstruation may increase the risk of cervical cancer. A research is recommended to find out the best educational method which to prevent this disease.