Pathological Vaginal Discharge among Pregnant Women: Pattern of Occurrence and Association in a Population-Based Survey

This study aimed to assess the prevalence of pathological vaginal discharge and to describe risk factors associated with pregnant women. All women living in the city of Rio Grande, Southern Brazil, who gave birth in 2010 were included in the study. A standardized questionnaire was administered to collect information on demographic, reproductive, and health-related factors and morbidity during pregnancy. The chi-square test was used to compare proportions, and multivariate Poisson regression with robust variance was performed. Of the 2,395 women studied, 43% had pathological vaginal discharge during pregnancy. The adjusted analysis showed that younger women of lower socioeconomic condition, those with a past history of abortion, vaginal discharge in a previous pregnancy, and treated for depression, anemia, and urinary tract infection during their current pregnancy, were more likely to have pathological vaginal discharge. Vaginal discharge during pregnancy was highly prevalent in the sample studied calling for proper risk factor management at the primary care level. 1. Introduction Vaginal discharge is a common gynecological condition among women of childbearing age that frequently requires care affecting about one-third of all women and half of pregnant women [1–3]. Pathological vaginal discharge can cause serious harm to pregnant women and their children including prematurity, low birth weight, chorioamnionitis, postpartum endometritis, and postcesarean wound infection [4–6]. It is the second leading cause of lost years of healthy life for women aged 15 to 49. It is also a facilitator of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection for the virus can gain entry into cells and for it evidences that these women are having unprotected sex [7]. Vaginal discharge is normal in women in their childbearing years. It derives from physiological secretion of cervical and Bartholin’s glands and desquamation of vaginal epithelial cells resulting from bacterial action in the vagina. When abnormal vaginal discharge is more abundant and has an unpleasant odor, it is usually accompanied by vulval or vaginal itching, dysuria, and/or dyspareunia [1, 2]. Studies carried out in developing countries demonstrated that vaginal discharge is caused by sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in up to 90% of cases [8, 9]. During pregnancy genital mucosa becomes thinner and has greater surface area making pregnant women more susceptible to infections [10, 11]. In addition, in Brazil, women in general lack knowledge on this condition, they do not recognize it as being important, and