Samantaray Subha R, Parida Soumya, Mohapatra Ipsita
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Kalyani, West Bengal, India.
J Family Med Prim Care. 2024 Oct;13(10):4451-4456. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_431_24. Epub 2024 Oct 18.
Menstruation is a normal physiological event that takes place in a rhythmic fashion during the reproductive period of a woman. Menstrual hygiene management (MHM) practices differ and depend on the individual's socioeconomic status, local traditions and beliefs, and access to water and sanitation resources. Insufficient and incorrect information regarding menstruation and lack of knowledge and awareness leads to poor personal hygienic practices, which further leads to many infections. Bacterial vaginosis, the most common RTI, is characterized by an alteration in the vaginal micro biome with a decline in hydrogen peroxide producing Lactobacillus colonization and an overgrowth of facultative anaerobic bacteria like ., ., etc.
The primary objective of the study was to find out the association of bacterial vaginosis with menstrual hygiene practices. The secondary objective was to determine the prevalence of bacterial vaginosis among patients presenting with vaginal discharge to the outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital.
Women in the reproductive age group 18-45 years having regular menstrual cycles were included in the study. Participants were enquired for sociodemographic data, menstrual hygiene practices and symptoms of abnormal vaginal discharge. High vaginal swab was collected for the symptomatic patients and sent to investigate for presence of bacterial vaginosis.
The prevalence of BV was found to be 13% among symptomatic patients presenting with abnormal vaginal discharge. Apart from abnormal discharge, itching and burning sensation was also seen to have a positive association with bacterial vaginosis ( < 0.001). The women who used clothes as absorbent were more prone to develop BV than women using sanitary pad. The other parameters to have positive association with BV were decreased frequency of taking body bath. Unsatisfactory sanitation of latrine was found to be strongly associated with BV after adjusting for confounders.
In conclusion, the result of this study provided a strong association between poor MHM practices with BV.
月经是女性生殖期以有规律的方式发生的正常生理事件。月经卫生管理（MHM）做法存在差异，取决于个人的社会经济地位、当地传统和信仰以及获得水和卫生资源的情况。关于月经的信息不足和不正确，以及知识和意识的缺乏导致个人卫生习惯不良，进而导致许多感染。细菌性阴道病是最常见的生殖系统感染（RTI），其特征是阴道微生物群发生改变，产生过氧化氢的乳酸杆菌定植减少，兼性厌氧菌如……等过度生长。
本研究的主要目的是找出细菌性阴道病与月经卫生习惯之间的关联。次要目的是确定在一家三级护理医院门诊部出现阴道分泌物的患者中细菌性阴道病的患病率。
纳入18 - 45岁月经周期规律的育龄妇女参与研究。询问参与者的社会人口统计学数据、月经卫生习惯和异常阴道分泌物症状。为有症状患者采集高阴道拭子并送去检测是否存在细菌性阴道病。
在出现异常阴道分泌物的有症状患者中，发现细菌性阴道病的患病率为13%。除了异常分泌物外，瘙痒和烧灼感也与细菌性阴道病呈正相关（<0.001）。使用衣物作为吸收材料的女性比使用卫生巾的女性更容易患细菌性阴道病。与细菌性阴道病呈正相关的其他参数是洗澡频率降低。在调整混杂因素后，发现厕所卫生条件差与细菌性阴道病密切相关。
总之，本研究结果表明不良的月经卫生管理做法与细菌性阴道病之间存在密切关联。
