ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Social and sexual risk factors for bacterial vaginosis

S Smart, A Singal and A Mindel

Sexually Transmitted Infections Research Centre, The University of Sydney, Marian Villa, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
A Mindel
Sexually Transmitted Infections Research Centre, The University of Sydney, Marian Villa, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia; adrianm{at}icpmr.wsahs.nsw.gov.au

Background: A number of sexual and social risk factors for bacterial vaginosis (BV) have been identified. However, many previous studies have used small numbers of patients, or highly selected or convenience samples, or poorly defined populations. This study aims to clarify potential sexual and non-sexual risk factors for BV.

Methods: Women attending the Sydney Sexual Health Centre with BV, between March 1991 and July 1999, were included. Controls were randomly selected women without BV. Information on the demographics, clinical findings, and sexual and non-sexual risk behaviours were extracted from the clinic database and analysed using SPSS and SAS. A logistic regression model was used to establish which associations with BV persisted.

Results: 890 women with BV and 890 controls were studied. Factors that were independently associated with BV were 3 male sexual partners in the past 12 months (OR = 1.60, 95% CI: 1.19 to 2.04), at least one female sexual partner in the past 12 months (OR = 2.1, p = 0.003), a past pregnancy (OR = 1.5, p<0.0006), and smoking. In contrast, women with BV were significantly less likely to have used hormonal contraception (OR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.51 to 0.81) or to have used condoms consistently (OR = 0.5, 95% CI: 0.31 to 0.71) than controls.

Conclusion: Our findings may be important for planning a preventive strategy for BV by discouraging smoking and increasing condom use and hormonal contraception among women.

Keywords: bacterial vaginosis; risk factors; sexual behaviour; smoking; condoms

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Article

Brief Encounters

Helen Ward, Rob Miller, and David Lewis
Sex Transm Inf 2004 80: 1. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Kim, T. K., Thomas, S. M., Ho, M., Sharma, S., Reich, C. I., Frank, J. A., Yeater, K. M., Biggs, D. R., Nakamura, N., Stumpf, R., Leigh, S. R., Tapping, R. I., Blanke, S. R., Slauch, J. M., Gaskins, H. R., Weisbaum, J. S., Olsen, G. J., Hoyer, L. L., Wilson, B. A. (2009). Heterogeneity of Vaginal Microbial Communities within Individuals. J. Clin. Microbiol. 47: 1181-1189 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Lindau, S. T., Hoffmann, J. N., Lundeen, K., Jaszczak, A., McClintock, M. K., Jordan, J. A. (2009). Vaginal Self-Swab Specimen Collection in a Home-Based Survey of Older Women: Methods and Applications. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 0: gbn021v1-gbn021 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Verstraelen, H. (2008). Bacterial vaginosis: a sexually enhanced disease. Int J STD AIDS 19: 575-576 [Full Text]  
• Josey, W E, Schwebke, J R (2008). The polymicrobial hypothesis of bacterial vaginosis causation: a reassessment. Int J STD AIDS 19: 152-154 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Evans, A. L, Scally, A. J, Wellard, S. J, Wilson, J. D (2007). Prevalence of bacterial vaginosis in lesbians and heterosexual women in a community setting. Sex. Transm. Infect. 83: 470-475 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Patel, V, Weiss, H A, Mabey, D, West, B, D'Souza, S, Patil, V, Nevrekar, P, Gupte, S, Kirkwood, B R (2006). The burden and determinants of reproductive tract infections in India: a population based study of women in Goa, India.. Sex. Transm. Infect. 82: 243-249 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Brabin, L, Roberts, S A, Fairbrother, E, Mandal, D, Higgins, S P, Chandiok, S, Wood, P, Barnard, G, Kitchener, H C (2005). Factors affecting vaginal pH levels among female adolescents attending genitourinary medicine clinics. Sex. Transm. Infect. 81: 483-487 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Morison, L, Ekpo, G, West, B, Demba, E, Mayaud, P, Coleman, R, Bailey, R, Walraven, G (2005). Bacterial vaginosis in relation to menstrual cycle, menstrual protection method, and sexual intercourse in rural Gambian women. Sex. Transm. Infect. 81: 242-247 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Hay, P (2005). Life in the littoral zone: lactobacilli losing the plot. Sex. Transm. Infect. 81: 100-102 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Muir, M. (2005). Hygieia. J. Epidemiol. Community Health 59: 176-176 [Full Text]