Risk of Gonococcal Infection During Vaginal Exposure is Associated With High Vaginal pH and Active Menstruation.
Sex Transm Dis
; 46(2): 86-90, 2019 02.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-30308531
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
An understanding of the biological reasons why 25% to 35% of women resist infection during vaginal intercourse with a man infected with Neisseria gonorrhoeae could lead to novel control measures. We sought modifiable biological bases for infection resistance by comparing women in the same core-mixing group who did or did not become infected after sexual exposure.METHODS:
We enrolled 61 female contacts of index men with gonorrhea seen at Baltimore City Health Department clinics from January 2008 through May 2012. Exposure and sexual practices and histories, co-infections, physical signs on exam, patient symptom report, and menstrual history were collected.RESULTS:
Thirty-eight (62.3%) of the exposed women developed cervical infections. Multiple logistic regression found that a vaginal pH of 4.5 or higher at presentation to clinic was significantly associated with gonococcal infection (adjusted odds ratio, 5.5; P = 0.037) in women who presented within one menstrual cycle, 35 days. In this group of women, there was a significant association between acquiring an N. gonorrhoeae cervical infection and sexual exposure during menstruation (adjusted odds ratio 12.5; P = 0.05).CONCLUSIONS:
Modification of vaginal pH could be explored as novel strategy for reducing the risk of N. gonorrhoeae infections in women.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Sexual Behavior
/
Vagina
/
Gonorrhea
/
Menstruation
Type of study:
Etiology_studies
/
Incidence_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
Sex Transm Dis
Year:
2019
Document type:
Article