Abstract
Objectives:To observe the effects of vaginal discharge during pregnancy on maternal and fetal outcomes.Methods:This observational study was undertaken form June 2018 to 31 May 2019 period in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences hospital Jamshoro Unit IV. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 85 pregnant women. All the pregnant women with vaginal discharge were included in the study, while the women with bleeding and other medical disorders during pregnancy were excluded. Data was analyzed.Results:Women’s mean age as 27.4 (±4.7) years and most were 28-35 weeks pregnant (n=29, 34%) and primigravida (n=35, 41%). Seventy six women (89%) presented with vaginal discharge while nine women (11%) reported no vaginal discharge. Of those with vaginal discharge,53 women (69.7%) had vaginal infections: bacterial vaginosis (n=21, 39.6%), vaginal candidiasis (n=17, 32.1%) and vaginal trichomoniasis (n=15, 28.3%). Pathological vaginal discharge (PVD) was associated with vaginal irritation (n=30, p<0.0001), vaginal pain (n=50, p<0.0001), fever (n=12, p=0.015), uterine contractions (n=31, p<0.0001), premature membrane rupture (n=29, p<0.0001), abortion (n=13, p=0.009), pre-term delivery (n=24, p<0.0001) and post-partum endometritis (n=19, p=0.0006). PVD was associated with neonatal outcomes i.e. low birth weight (n=24, p<0.0001), low Apgar score at birth (n=22, p=0.0001), neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (n=21, p=0.0002), neonatal intensive care hospitalisation (n=20, p=0.002) and early neonatal death (n=16, p=0.003).Conclusion:Pathological vaginal discharge (PVD) during pregnancy is more frequent and is associated with adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes.
Highlights
Vaginal discharge (VD) is a frequent gynaecological complaint in women duringCorrespondence: January 21, 2021 April 26, 2021 May 5, 2021 their reproductive life and especially during pregnancy.[1,2] Women could not generally differentiate between normal and abnormal vaginal discharge.[3]
Normal VD was watery in color (n=23,100%), a slight stain in the quantity (n=22, 95.65%) and odorless (n=23, 100%) whereas pathological discharge was mostly yellowish curd like in color (n=17, 32.1%), soaking clothes in the quantity (n=35, 66%) and foul smelling (n=28, 52.8%) Compared to women with normal vaginal discharge, a higher proportion of women with pathological vaginal discharge (PVD) was statistically significantly associated with vaginal irritation (n=30, p
Causes of pathological vaginal discharge: In this study it was found that VD in pregnancy was most commonly pathological and it was due to three types of vaginal infections i.e. bacterial vaginosis, vaginal candidiasis and trichomoniasis vaginalis same is reported by other studies.[15,16]
Summary
Vaginal discharge (VD) is a frequent gynaecological complaint in women during. Correspondence: January 21, 2021 April 26, 2021 May 5, 2021 their reproductive life and especially during pregnancy.[1,2] Women could not generally differentiate between normal (physiological) and abnormal (pathological) vaginal discharge.[3] Proper diagnosis of VD requires clinical examination and laboratory investigations.[4] Normal vaginal discharge, known as leucorrhoea, is thin, clear or milky white fluid with a mild odor. PVD commonly results due to vaginal infections such as bacterial
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