A STUDY OF THE INCIDENCE OF BACTERIAL VAGINOSIS IN PRETERM AND TERM LABOUR AND ITS EFFECTS ON MATERNAL AND FETAL OUTCOMES
Main Article Content
Keywords
Bacterial vaginosis, Amsel’s criteria, Preterm labour, Term labour, Vaginal microflora, Incidence
Abstract
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common genital tract disorder during pregnancy, often asymptomatic but associated with adverse outcomes such as preterm labour. This study aimed to determine the incidence of BV among women in preterm and term labour and analyze maternal and neonatal outcomes.
Materials and Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted on 120 pregnant women (60 preterm, 60 term labour) at Government General Hospital, Eluru (2024–2025). BV was diagnosed using Amsel’s criteria. Data were collected on vaginal pH, discharge, clue cells, whiff test, and high vaginal swab cultures. Maternal and neonatal outcomes were analyzed using SPSS v17.0.
Results: The incidence of BV was 30% in preterm labour cases and 6% in term labour cases (p=0.002). Basic vaginal pH, positive whiff test, and clue cells were significantly more frequent in the preterm group (p<0.05). Pathogenic organisms were isolated more often in preterm patients. Neonatal complications and postpartum outcomes showed no significant differences between BV-positive and BV-negative groups.
Conclusion: The incidence of BV is significantly higher among women in preterm labour. Routine antenatal screening and timely treatment may help reduce preterm births and associated complications.
References
2. Saifon C, Kanjana P. Bacterial Vaginosis in Threatened Preterm, Preterm and Term Labour. J Med Assoc Thai. 2010;93(12):1351–5.
3. World Health Organization. Preterm birth. WHO Fact Sheet. Updated November 2023. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/preterm-birth
4. Blencowe H, Cousens S, Chou D, et al. Born Too Soon: The global epidemiology of 15 million preterm births. Reprod Health. 2013;10(Suppl 1):S2. doi:10.1186/1742-4755-10-S1-S2
5. Romero R, Dey SK, Fisher SJ. Preterm labor: one syndrome, many causes. Science. 2014;345(6198):760–5. doi:10.1126/science.1251816
6. Goldenberg RL, Hauth JC, Andrews WW. Intrauterine infection and preterm delivery. N Engl J Med. 2000;342(20):1500–7. doi:10.1056/NEJM200005183422007
7. Goldenberg RL, Culhane JF, Iams JD, Romero R. Epidemiology and causes of preterm birth. Lancet. 2008;371(9606):75–84. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(08)60074-4
8. Srinivasan S, Fredricks DN. The human vaginal bacterial biota and bacterial vaginosis. Interdiscip Perspect Infect Dis. 2008;2008:750479. doi:10.1155/2008/750479
9. Sobel JD. Bacterial vaginosis. Annu Rev Med. 2000;51:349–56. doi:10.1146/annurev.med.51.1.349
10. Swidsinski A, Mendling W, Loening-Baucke V, et al. Adherent biofilms in bacterial vaginosis. Obstet Gynecol. 2005;106(5 Pt 1):1013–23. doi:10.1097/01.AOG.0000183594.45524.D2
11. Hay PE. Bacterial vaginosis and miscarriage. Curr Opin Infect Dis. 2004;17(1):41–4. doi:10.1097/00001432-200402000-00008
12. Nugent RP, Krohn MA, Hillier SL. Reliability of diagnosing bacterial vaginosis is improved by a standardized method of Gram stain interpretation. J Clin Microbiol. 1991;29(2):297–301. doi:10.1128/jcm.29.2.297-301.1991
13. Sangkomkamhang US, Lumbiganon P, Prasertcharoensuk W, et al. Antenatal lower genital tract infection screening and treatment programs for preventing preterm delivery. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015;2015(2):CD006178. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD006178.pub3
14. Mohammed Nezar, Shams M, Eid MI, Elsayed E, Elshahawy H, Mamdouh M. Bacterial Vaginosis: One of the Causes of Preterm Labor. Int J Curr Microbiol App Sci. 2017;6(8):305–313. doi:10.20546/ijcmas.2017.608.040
15. Leitich H, Bodner-Adler B, Brunbauer M, et al. Bacterial vaginosis as a risk factor for preterm delivery: a meta-analysis. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2003;189(1):139–47. doi:10.1067/mob.2003.339
16. Bijetha BS, Shreshtha S. Incidence of bacterial vaginosis in patients with idiopathic preterm labour. Int J Reprod Contracept Obstet Gynecol. 2015;4(3):641–646. doi:10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20150465
17. Rao JVN, Chandini J. The association of bacterial vaginosis with adverse pregnancy outcomes. J Evid Based Med Healthc. 2017;4(50):3040–2. doi:10.18410/jebmh/2017/603
18. Hillier SL, Krohn MA, Cassen E, et al. The role of bacterial vaginosis and vaginal bacteria in amniotic fluid infection in women in preterm labor with intact fetal membranes. Clin Infect Dis. 1995;20(Suppl 2):S276–S278. doi:10.1093/clinids/20.Supplement_2.S276
19. Eschenbach DA, Davick PR, Williams BL, et al. Prevalence of hydrogen peroxide-producing Lactobacillus species in normal women and women with bacterial vaginosis. J Clin Microbiol. 1989;27(2):251–6. doi:10.1128/jcm.27.2.251-256.1989
20. Mercer BM, Goldenberg RL, Meis PJ, et al. The Preterm Prediction Study: A multicenter study of preterm birth risk and bacterial vaginosis. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1995;173(4):1231–1235. doi:10.1016/0002-9378(95)91343-3
21. Leitich H, Kiss H. Asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis and intermediate flora as risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcome. Best Pract Res Clin Obstet Gynaecol. 2007;21(3):375–390. doi:10.1016/j.bpobgyn.2006.12.005
22. Amsel R, Totten PA, Spiegel CA, et al. Nonspecific vaginitis. Diagnostic criteria and microbial and epidemiologic associations. Am J Med. 1983;74(1):14–22. doi:10.1016/0002-9343(83)91112-9
23. Ugwumadu A, Manyonda I, Reid F, Hay P. Effect of early oral clindamycin on late miscarriage and preterm delivery in asymptomatic women with abnormal vaginal flora. Lancet. 2003;361(9362):983–8. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(03)12827-8
24. Kiran CK, Kandati J, Ponugoti M. Prevalence of bacterial vaginosis in preterm and term labour: a one-year study. Int J Reprod Contracept Obstet Gynecol. 2017;6:2292–2296. doi:10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20172326
25. Brocklehurst P, Gordon A, Heatley E, Milan SJ. Antibiotics for treating bacterial vaginosis in pregnancy. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013;(1):CD000262. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD000262.pub4
26. Chatterjee P, Hanumaiah I. An observational study of bacterial vaginosis in preterm and term labour at a tertiary care centre in South India. Indian J Obstet Gynecol Res. 2016;3(1):38–42. doi:10.5958/2394-2754.2016.00008.6
27. Romero R, Espinoza J, Chaiworapongsa T, et al. Intraamniotic infection and the pathophysiology of preterm labor. Semin Perinatol. 2007;31(2):105–12. doi:10.1053/j.semperi.2007.02.002
28. Chenicheri M, Chandramathy K, Govind R, Anitha PM. Prevalence of bacterial vaginosis in cases of preterm labour and its effects on obstetric outcome. J Evid Based Med Healthc. 2017;4(28):1669–73. doi:10.18410/jebmh/2017/326
29. Renu Jain. Role of bacterial vaginosis in preterm labor - a prospective study. Int J Med Res Rev. 2016;4(4):653–657. doi:10.17511/ijmrr.2016.i04.21
30. No. 211-Screening and Management of Bacterial Vaginosis in Pregnancy. J Obstet Gynaecol Can. 2017;39(8):e184–e191. doi:10.1016/j.jogc.2017.03.006
Article Sidebar
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
All articles published in JPTCP are licensed under Copyright Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Dr.P.Lavanya
M S (OBG), Associate Professor Dept of OBG Dr.Yellapragada Subbarao Government
Medical College, Eluru Email id - drlavanyapalli1978@gmail.com
Dr.U.Aruna Jyothi
M D (Patho), Associate Professor Dept of Pathology Dr.Yellapragada Subbarao Government Medical College, Eluru Email id - arunauram@gmail.com
Dr.V.Manjula
M D (Micro), Assistant Professor Dept of Microbiology Dr.Yellapragada Subbarao Government Medical College, Eluru Email id - manjula3946@gmail.com