Participant overview
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS
FVU, serum, and matched clinical data were available from 420 women. This included 212 15- to 26-year-old HANDS trial participants and 208 mothers/female guardians of younger participants. Of the available archived HANDS trial specimens from 427 women, there were five urine samples without paired serum samples, one urine sample where the internal control did not amplify and one serum DPP test where a control line was not visible so was considered invalid. These seven specimens were excluded from the analysis.The median age of the study population was 25 years (range: 15 − 69 years; interquartile range: 19 − 36 years). The median age at menarche of the 375 study participants who could recall was 15 years (range: 10 − 20 years; interquartile range: 14 − 15 years). The majority (86%) of the women tested were of Mandinka ethnicity. One-third (33%) had never attended school. In total, 59% were married and 30% were currently using or had previously used contraception, predominantly injectables. A summary of the study population ethnicity, education status, marital status and contraception-use is shown in Table 
Descriptive characteristics of 420 women from The Gambia tested for five treatable sexually transmitted infections* Some participants reported using more than one contraceptive method