Bacterial Vaginosis and Its Associated Factor Among Pregnant Women Receiving Prenatal Care at Bonga Gebretsadik Shoawo General Hospital, South West Ethiopia

Abstract

One of the most frequent causes of irregular vaginal discharge in pregnant women is bacterial vaginosis (BV), which is characterized by a rise of various anaerobic bacteria and a decrease in important bacteria, the lactobacilli. The variation in the prevalence and its contributing causes among various populations, and nations is well known. Hence, in this study, the prevalence and characteristics associated with BV in pregnant women were determined. Descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on pregnant women who visited the obstetric and gynecological units at Bonga general hospital in Bonga, south west Ethiopia. Nugent’s scoring method was used for the diagnosis of BV. The prevalence of BV was 19.7% (48/244) [95% CI 17.2–23.2]. Vaginal douching with soap was significantly linked to BV in women (AOR, 3.6; 95% CI: 1.4–9.1). Pregnant women with vaginal discharge and with a foul-smelling odor were four times more likely to have BV (AOR, 4.2; 95% CI: 1.7–10.3; p = 0.001). Furthermore, women who had multiple sexual partners were three times more likely to get BV. It was noted that pregnant women in this study had a high prevalence of BV. We revealed that the majority of women with BV had vaginal discharge and an unpleasant odor. We were able to verify the association between BV in pregnant women with multiple sexual partners and women who practiced vaginal douching with soap. Therefore, additional research may be required to validate and assess the reason for this correlation. Planning a preventive approach for BV that discourages vaginal douching with soap and multiple sexual partners during pregnancy may reduce the prevalence of BV.