Abstract:
Bacterial vaginosis is one of the most common causes of abnormal vaginal
discharge in women of reproductive age group especially pregnant women. It is characterized by
loss of lactobacilli and increasing proliferation of diverse anaerobic bacteria. To the researchers‟
knowledge, there has been limited study on BV among pregnant women in Ethiopia.
Furthermore, the researchers used different laboratory methods and there was no research done
by culture and Amsel‟s criteria to isolate bacteria causing BV in Ethiopia.
Objective: The objective of this study is to determine the magnitude of bacterial vaginosis and
associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care from May-July,2021 in
selected health facilities in Harar town.
Methods and materials: A cross-sectional study was conducted. Two hundred forty-eight
(n=248) pregnant women attending antenatal care was selected using systematic random
sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and two vaginal swabs were
collected using sterile applicator sticks and transported to the microbiology laboratory in amies
transport media. Vaginal swab was analyzed by Amsel‟s criteria, gram stains & culture. Data
was entered into EpiData version 3.1 and transferred to SPSS version 25 for analysis. Final
results were presented using frequency tables and figures. Binary logistic regression analysis was
used to identify variables associated with bacterial vaginosis. P-values <0.05 were considered
statistically significant.
Results: A total of 248 pregnant women with 100% response rate was included in the study.
The mean age (±SD) was 26.29±4.54 years. Overall, 21.4% (95% CI; 16%, 27%) of study
participants had bacterial vaginosis using both Amsel‟s criteria and Nugent grade scoring system
and G.vaginalis were isolated in 25 (10%.1) of BV cases by culture method. History of STI
(AOR=6.0, 95% CI: 1.94-19.07; p=0.002), history of spontaneous abortion (AOR=5.8, 95%CI:
1.55-22.02; p=0.009), multiple sex partners (AOR=8.6, 95% CI: 2.93-25.79; p=0.000) and
having vaginal discharge (AOR=5.5, 95% CI: 2.48- 12.41; P=0.000) were significantly
associated with bacterial vaginosis.
Conclusion: The prevalence of bacterial vaginosis is higher among symptomatic pregnant
women and associated with previous history of sexually transmitted infection, vaginal discharge,
multiple sexual partner and history of spontaneous abortion.
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Recommendation: Since BV infection is common among pregnant women, screening of
pregnant women having vaginal discharge, history of STI, having multiple sexual partner and
previous history of spontaneous abortion is vital for good pregnancy outcomes
