Sexually transmitted diseases among women with habitual abortion

ABSTRACT

Sexually transmitted disease as a risk factor for habitual abortion was investigated in a case-control study in Basra between October 1994 and May 1995. Of 81 women with habitual abortion, 41 [50.6%] had a sexually transmitted disease. In the normal pregnancy group, 64 of 119 women [53.8%] had a sexually transmitted disease [X[2] = 0.712, P > 0.05]. The isolation rates of Candida spp., Trichomonas vaginalis, Gardnerella vaginalis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae in women with habitual abortion were not significantly different from those in normal pregnant women. No association was found between the presence of a sexually transmitted disease and habitual abortion [odds ratio = 0.9]. No positive case of syphilis was diagnosed using VDRL and TPHA tests. There was a significant relation between the presence of a sexually transmitted disease and the presence of vaginal discharge, vaginal pH > 4.5 and the frequency of sexual activity/week > 2