Association of Bacterial Vaginosis with Preterm Labour in Pregnant Women

Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) was a common vaginal infection associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, including premature birth. Objective: To evaluate the association between the BV and the risk of preterm Labor in pregnant women and to assess whether BV prevalence differs based on obstetric history, including parity and prior delivery outcomes. Methods: This case-control study was conducted in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at PAF Hospital Mushaf, Sargodha, from July 2022 to January 2023. A total of 130 participants were included in the study. BV was diagnosed using laboratory and diagnostic methods. Participants were enrolled using non-probability consecutive sampling. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21.0. Chi-square tests and odds ratios were employed to assess the association between bacterial vaginosis and variables such as age, gravida, and history of preterm delivery, with a p-value ≤ 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age of the participants was 25.32±6.8 years. Parity also had a notable impact, with multiparous women showing a significantly higher prevalence of BV (46.2%) compared to controls (18.2%), with an OR of 3.86; P=0.006. However, the difference among primiparous women was insignificant (P=0.477, OR=1.56). Women with no prior delivery history had a higher BV prevalence in the case group, 41.5%, compared to the control group, 20.0%, with an OR of 2.83; P=0.130. Conclusions: Bacterial vaginosis was significantly associated with older maternal age and multiparity, but no strong correlation was found with previous preterm delivery. Timely diagnosis and management of BV may help reduce the risk of preterm labor.