Prevalence, risk factors and adverse pregnancy outcomes of second trimester bacterial vaginosis among pregnant women in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Abstract

Background Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common gynecological condition in women of reproductive age and associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), neonatal mortality rate is as high as 2.8 percent with preterm birth (PTB) and low birth weight (LBW) as leading causes. Because no studies have addressed BV in DRC, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of BV, the risk factors and the association between BV and adverse pregnancy outcomes in a population of pregnant women from Bukavu, DRC. Methods A total of 533 pregnant women in the second trimester of pregnancy were recruited in the Provincial Reference Hospital of Bukavu, DRC, between January and October 2017, and followed until delivery. Clinical and sociodemographic data of mother and newborn, and data on (vaginal) hygiene practices, sexual behavior and reproductive history were collected. BV was diagnosed by Nugent scoring of Gram-stained vaginal smears. Two multivariate regression models were built to identify risk factors for BV and to investigate BV as a risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes. Results The prevalence of BV was 26.3% and approximately half of the women with BV were asymptomatic. Independent risk factors for BV were the use of alternatives to water for intravaginal washing, concurrent partners, unemployed status, the presence of vaginal Candida and clay consumption. BV was independently associated with both LBW and PTB of an infant with LBW. Conclusion The prevalence of BV in Bukavu is high but in line with the global average. BV was associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes in our study population. Hence, research on modifiable risk factor-based interventions to reduce the prevalence of BV, and on screening/treatment of BV during antenatal care should be explored to reduce neonatal mortality and morbidity.

Identification and pattern of antifungal susceptibility of Candida species isolated from cases of vaginitis in a tertiary care hospital in India

“…Amongst the patients enrolled, 159 (70.6%) were married with 151 (67.1%) being pregnant. Amongst the pregnant females, the highest percentage of the patients was in the third trimester (n=117, 77.5%), followed by the second trimester (n=20, 13.2%) and first trimester (n=14, 9.2%) Similar findings were observed in other studies where the incidence of VVC increases with gestational age and is highest in the third trimester ( 15 , 16 ).…”

Intervención educativa en gestantes con vaginosis bacteriana en el área de salud Julián Grimau García

“…El mayor porcentaje de gestantes cuya edad de inicio de la primera relación sexual fue de 15-19 años y que tuvieron de 4-6 parejas sexuales, coincide con lo reportado en otra investigación (Valencia-Arredondo y Yepes-López, 2018) donde se plantea que estos factores predisponen a un mayor riesgo de infecciones vaginales. En este sentido también se plantea que otro factor de riesgo para presentar vaginosis bacteriana en el embarazo lo constituye la promiscuidad de sus parejas sexuales (Mulinganya et al, 2021).…”

Effect of bacterial vaginosis on induced labour in the third trimester of pregnancy: A retrospective cohort study

“…The prevalence of bacterial vaginosis (BV) during pregnancy exhibits considerable variation, ranging from 3.54-50.0%, and is contingent upon the speci c population under investigation [7]. Research suggests that there is an association between BV and adverse reproductive outcomes in pregnant women, as well as complications in neonates [8][9][10][11][12][13][14].…”