The Association of Bacterial Vaginosis and Abnormal Uterine Bleeding From Polyps of the Female Reproductive Tract

Objective: This study evaluated the association between polyps, a common structural cause of abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) and bacterial vaginosis (BV), the most common vaginal infection affecting women worldwide. Materials and Methods: A single-institution retrospective study was performed of 283 patients diagnosed with polyps between 2016 and 2021. Data collected included demographics, polyp-related bleeding symptoms, and the number and timing of BV diagnoses. Characteristics of patients who developed BV within 1 year before and/or within 3 years after polyp diagnosis were compared with those of patients with chronic BV and no BV diagnoses using χ 2 and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Odds ratios were estimated using logistic regression models. Results: A majority (72%) of patients experienced AUB associated with polyps, with a higher prevalence of AUB in the Chronic and New BV cohorts relative to the No BV cohort (76% and 76% vs 63%). Specifically, patients with menorrhagia or heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) were more likely to develop BV after polyp diagnosis compared with patients without menorrhagia or HMB (78% vs 56%, P =.001). Conclusions: This study demonstrated an association between menorrhagia or HMB caused by polyps and BV diagnoses. Future prospective studies are needed to further characterize the relationship between the structural causes of AUB and BV.