Screening for Bacterial Vaginosis in Pregnant Adolescents and Women to Prevent Preterm Delivery

Abstract

Bacterial vaginosis is a common lower genital tract syndrome defined as a shift from normal hydrogen peroxide–producing lactobacilli to mixed anaerobes.1,2 Studies conducted between 1983 and 2006 estimate that only 25% to 50% of women with bacterial vaginosis report symptoms.3-5 Research has suggested bacterial vaginosis as a risk factor for preterm delivery; a 2007 meta-analysis of 32 studies estimated a pooled odds ratio for the risk of preterm delivery in the presence of asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis of 2.16 (95% CI, 1.56 to 3.00).6 The causal mechanism is not fully understood.7,8