Hypothesis/aims of study. The problem of vaginal infections during pregnancy is of high importance in obstetric practice. To predict the risks and reduce the frequency of pregnancy and childbirth complications, it is necessary to dynamically assess the vaginal microflora and treat its disorders. The aim of the study was to investigate the vaginal microflora and evaluate the effectiveness of treating vaginal infections in pregnant women with a history of miscarriage.
Study design, materials and methods. The study included 153 pregnant women in the first trimester. The main group (group I) consisted of 99 women with a history of miscarriage, 35 of whom had signs of threatened abortion (subgroup IA) and 64 did not (subgroup IB). The control group (group II) comprised 54 women without a history of miscarriage and signs of threatened abortion. The vaginal microflora was examined using microscopic, bacteriological and quantitative real-time PCR methods. All patients with an established vaginal infection (bacterial vaginosis, aerobic vaginitis, and vulvovaginal candidiasis) received etiotropic therapy, depending on the microorganisms identified and their sensitivity to antimicrobial drugs. After treatment, in order to assess the effectiveness of the therapy, the vaginal microflora was examined in the second trimester and the outcomes and complications of present pregnancy were evaluated.
Results. In women of subgroup IA, vulvovaginitis and bacterial vaginosis were detected 3.5 times more often compared to the control group, and 1.6 times more often compared to subgroup IB (66% and 19%, respectively, p 0.001; 66% and 42%, respectively, p 0.05). Aerobic vaginitis was the most frequent vaginal infection in the first trimester of pregnancy in women of the main group (p 0.05). After treatment, the frequency of the vaginal infections in the second trimester in women of the main group significantly decreased: by 1.9 times in subgroup IA and by 1.5 times in subgroup IB (p 0.05). There were no significant differences in the frequency of adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with bacterial vaginosis or vulvovaginitis as compared to women with normal vaginal microflora. Nevertheless, pregnancy and childbirth complications were diagnosed 4 times more frequently in the main group (23% and 6%, respectively, p 0.05), with the complications occurring significantly more often in the cases of vulvovaginitis or bacterial vaginosis and signs of threatened abortion in the first trimester (p 0.05).
Conclusion. Etiotropic therapy of vaginal infections diagnosed in the first trimester of pregnancy in women with a history of miscarriage was highly effective. In 40% of women, vaginal microbiocenosis normalized, and the clinical symptoms of vaginosis/vaginitis disappeared. Differences in the frequency of adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with vulvovaginitis or bacterial vaginosis in the first trimester and in women with normal vaginal microbiocenosis were not significant. However, the treatment of vaginal infections in the group of pregnant women with a history of miscarriage did not significantly affect the frequency of pregnancy and childbirth complications.
Effect of vitamin D and interferon α-2b on cytokine profile in pregnant women with vaginal infections
