Community based study of reproductive tract infections among women of the reproductive age group in a rural community of Eastern India

Background: RTI/STIs have a profound impact on sexual and reproductive health worldwide, the symptoms of which often goes unnoticed and women suffers from devastating consequences. The present study was conducted to analyse the prevalence of RTIs based on a syndromic approach among women of 15 to 49 years age, supported by both laboratory and clinical diagnosis to measure the actual magnitude of morbidity associated with RTIs among the study population. The objective of the study were to study the prevalence of reproductive tract infection among the women of reproductive age group (15-49 years), to find out the etiological diagnosis and to assess the socio-demographic profile of the study population.Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 312 women aged 15-44 years in a rural area in West Bengal, using the WHO-Syndromic Approach for diagnosis and management of RTIs/STIs.Results: The prevalence of RTIs among the reproductive age group women was 43.6% based on their symptoms of RTI, with majority having abnormal vaginal discharge. According to laboratory investigations the most common cause of RTI was bacterial vaginosis which was 67.4% (using Amsel’s criteria) and 31.7% (as per Nugent’s score), followed by Vulvovaginal candidiasis which was found in 12.4%.Conclusions: RTI among women of reproductive age is quite a common morbidity.It is the need of the hour to educate women about reproductive health issues and encourage them to seek treatment for their problems and wherever possible both clinical and laboratory findings should corroborate self reported morbidity to know the exact prevalence of any disease in the community.