Nugent Scores of Pregnant Women in a Tertiary Institution in Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) is an imbalance of the vaginal normal flora, and it is asymptomatic in most women. Therefore, one of the major ways of diagnosing BV is demonstration of an abnormal flora in the vagina. This can be achieved through various methods including Nugent score. In view of the association of BV with obstetric/gynaecological complications and high rate of HIV transmission, it is desirable to know the prevalence of BV in pregnant women. Knowledge of risk factors will also help to design preventive measures. Methodology: A prospective study was performed to determine the prevalence of BV among pregnant women. High vaginal swabs (HVS) were collected and smears made were Gram stained and scored by the Nugent method. A predesigned questionnaire was also used to obtain information on possible risk factors. Associations between categorical variables were assessed using chi square test and fisher’s exact test as appropriate. Result : Three hundred married women aged between 18 and 45 years were studied. The prevalence of BV was 64.3%, 25% had intermediate and 10.7% had negative Nugent scores. BV rates were high across all age groups, educational background, ethnicity, parity, HIV status, and occupation. The occurrence of BV was higher (75.5%) among gestational age group ≤ 30 weeks (p < 0.05), in women who had sex more than twice within a week (p < 0.05) and in women who engaged in unskilled labour (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Bacterial vaginosis is a very common condition among the studied population. This high prevalence may necessitate routine screening and treatment during antenatal care in preventing the associated adverse effects of BV during pregnancy and childbirth.