ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between bacterial vaginosis
(BV) and cervical dilation and effacement, as measures of impending preterm delivery.
The Pregnancy, Infection, and Nutrition Study collected genital tract specimens and
documented cervical change from 807 eligible women between 24 and 29 weeks' gestation.
BV was assessed with Nugent-scored vaginal smears, and analyzed in relation to cervical
measurements. At 24-29 weeks' gestation, <7% of women had a dilated cervix, 31% had
a cervix ≤2 cm, and 17.3% had BV. Unadjusted analyses found no associations between
BV and cervical measurements. Adjusted logistic regression suggested an association
between BV and cervical effacement among women with a sexually transmitted disease
(STD) earlier in pregnancy (odds ratio = 1.9, 95% CI 0.8-4.3). Stratified analyses
for BV/dilation also suggested interaction with STDs. Overall, BV was not association
with cervical dilation or effacement at 24-29 weeks' gestation.
KEYWORD
Bacterial vaginosis - cervical dilation - cervical effacement - epidemiology