Vaginal Douching and Risk of Preterm Birth Among African American Women

Overview

Journal Am J Obstet Gynecol

Publisher Elsevier

Specialty Gynecology & Obstetrics

Date 2007 Feb 20

PMID 17306656

Citations 12

Authors

Dawn P Misra

Britton Trabert

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine how vaginal douching may influence risk of preterm birth.

Study Design: We conducted a hybrid cohort study on risk factors for preterm birth. African American women who resided in Baltimore City, Maryland, were enrolled prenatally if they received prenatal care at 1 of 4 Johns Hopkins Medical Institution prenatal clinics or were enrolled after delivery if they delivered at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institution with late, none, or intermittent prenatal care. Interview data were collected on 832 women delivering singleton infants between March 2001 and July 2004.

Results: The preterm birth rate was 16.4%. After adjustment for several potential confounders, those covariates that were associated with either vaginal douching or preterm birth in our sample or that were identified as confounders in the literature, vaginal douching 6 months before pregnancy, and < 3 times per month (prevalence ratio, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.42-0.95) were associated with a reduced risk of preterm delivery. Douching during pregnancy was associated with a trend toward increased risk of preterm birth (prevalence ratio, 1.64; 95% CI, 0.97-2.76).

Conclusion: Vaginal douching effects on the risk of preterm birth depend on the timing of the exposure. Douching in the 6 months before pregnancy, but not during pregnancy, appears to protect against preterm birth.

Citing Articles

The Vaginal Microbiome in Health and Disease-What Role Do Common Intimate Hygiene Practices Play?.

Holdcroft A, Ireland D, Payne M Microorganisms. 2023; 11(2).

PMID: 36838262 PMC: 9959050. DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11020298.

The association between vaginal hygiene practices and spontaneous preterm birth: A case-control study.

Janssen L, Verduin R, de Groot C, Oudijk M, de Boer M PLoS One. 2022; 17(6):e0268248.

PMID: 35771798 PMC: 9246112. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268248.

A Lactobacillus-Deficient Vaginal Microbiota Dominates Postpartum Women in Rural Malawi.

Doyle R, Gondwe A, Fan Y, Maleta K, Ashorn P, Klein N Appl Environ Microbiol. 2018; 84(6).

PMID: 29305501 PMC: 5835753. DOI: 10.1128/AEM.02150-17.

Birth outcome racial disparities: A result of intersecting social and environmental factors.

Burris H, Hacker M Semin Perinatol. 2017; 41(6):360-366.

PMID: 28818300 PMC: 5657505. DOI: 10.1053/j.semperi.2017.07.002.

Risk Factors for Preterm Birth and Low Birth Weight Among Pregnant Indian Women: A Hospital-based Prospective Study.

Tellapragada C, Eshwara V, Bhat P, Acharya S, Kamath A, Bhat S J Prev Med Public Health. 2016; 49(3):165-75.

PMID: 27255075 PMC: 4898897. DOI: 10.3961/jpmph.16.022.

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