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Cited by 761Reproductive tract infections researchUrinary Tract Infections ManagementCervical Cancer and HPV Research

The prevalence of bacterial vaginosis in the United States, 2001–2004; associations with symptoms, sexual behaviors, and reproductive health.

Koumans, Emilia H., Sternberg, Maya, Bruce, Carol, McQuillan, Geraldine, Kendrick, Juliette, Sutton, Madeline, Markowitz, Lauri E.·2007·Sexually Transmitted Diseases
DOI 10.1097/olq.0b013e318074e565
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Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Bacterial vaginosis (BV), a disturbance of vaginal microflora, is a common cause of vaginal symptoms and is associated with an increased risk of acquisition of sexually transmitted infections, HIV, and with adverse pregnancy outcomes. We determined prevalence and associations with BV among a representative sample of women of reproductive age in the United States. STUDY DESIGN: Women aged 14-49 years participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001-2004 were asked to submit a self-collected vaginal swab for Gram staining. BV, determined using Nugent's score, was defined as a score of 7-10. RESULTS: The prevalence of BV was 29.2% (95% confidence interval 27.2%-31.3%) corresponding to 21 million women with BV; only 15.7% of the women with BV reported vaginal symptoms. Prevalence was 51.4% among non-Hispanic blacks, 31.9% among Mexican Americans, and 23.2% among non-Hispanic whites (P <0.01 for each comparison). Although BV was also associated with poverty (P <0.01), smoking (P <0.05), increasing body mass index (chi2 P <0.0001 for trend), and having had a female sex partner (P <0.005), in the multivariate model, BV only remained positively associated with race/ethnicity, increasing lifetime sex partners (chi2 P <0.001 for trend), increasing douching frequency (chi2 P for trend <0.001), low educational attainment (P <0.01), and inversely associated with current use of oral contraceptive pills (P <0.005). CONCLUSION: BV is a common condition; 84% of women with BV did not report symptoms. Because BV increases the risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections, BV could contribute to racial disparities in these infections.

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  • BV is common among women, and even more so among women with female partners.

    “BV is common among women, and even more so among women with female partners (310–312).”

    From Sexually Transmitted Infections Treatment Guidelines, 2021 (2021) · cites this paper as [310]

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Authors
Koumans, E. H., Sternberg, M., Bruce, C., McQuillan, G., Kendrick, J., Sutton, M., & Markowitz, L. E.
Affiliations
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US)
  • United States Department of Health and Human Services (US)
Corresponding author
  • Koumans, Emilia H.
  • Sternberg, Maya
  • Bruce, Carol
  • Kendrick, Juliette
  • Sutton, Madeline
  • Markowitz, Lauri E.
ORCID
Venue
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Publisher
Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Published
2007-11
Volume
34
Issue
11
Pages
864-869
ISSN
0148-5717 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1097/olq.0b013e318074e565
OpenAlex
W2017153096
Cited by
761
References
28
Citations by year
2026: 25 · 2025: 51 · 2024: 37 · 2023: 84 · 2022: 50 · 2021: 49 · 2020: 54 · 2019: 46 · 2018: 37 · 2017: 48 · 2016: 47 · 2015: 38 · 2014: 34 · 2013: 37 · 2012: 30
FWCI
19.16
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Sexually Transmitted Diseases (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Microbiology › Reproductive tract infections research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Urinary Tract Infections Management
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Cervical Cancer and HPV Research
Keywords
bacterial vaginosis, prevalence, vaginal symptoms, sexual behavior, reproductive health, race and ethnicity, douching, oral contraceptive use, sexually transmitted infections, HIV, pregnancy outcomes, vaginal microbiota, racial disparities, women of reproductive age
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Ethnicity, Female, Humans, Middle Aged, Nutrition Surveys, Sexual Behavior, United States, Women's Health Services, Prevalence, Vaginosis, Bacterial

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