Drug Treatment of Vaginal Infections Linked To Premature Delivery

Drug Treatment of Vaginal Infections Linked To Premature Delivery

Pregnant women should not be routinely screened and treated for an infection that is associated with an increased risk of preterm delivery, new study findings suggest.
In the study, pregnant women who received the drug metronidazole (Flagyl) for a vaginal infection known as asymptomatic vaginal trichomoniasis, were nearly twice as likely to deliver their babies early, compared with women who received an inactive medication or placebo.
The investigators found that 19% of the women who received the drug delivered their baby before 37 weeks' gestation.
Only 11% of the women who took the placebo experienced preterm delivery. A full-term pregnancy is 40 weeks, but delivery anywhere from 38 weeks to 42 weeks is considered safe.
Routine screening and treatment of symptomless pregnant women for this condition cannot be recommended, the researchers concluded. The majority of women who have vaginal trichomoniasis -- a sexually transmitted infection -- do not have symptoms, which can include vaginal discharge and burning.
Because the infection in pregnant women has been linked to an increased risk of preterm delivery and low birth weight infants, screening and treating the infection during pregnancy has been recommended, although it was unclear whether the treatment reduced the risk of early delivery.
The New England Journal of Medicine August 16, 2001 ;345:487-493