Risk of having a sexually transmitted infection in women presenting at a termination of pregnancy clinic in Pretoria, South Africa

Abstract

This study was undertaken to assess the risk of being infected with a known sexually transmitted pathogen at the time of presentation for termination of pregnancy. Endocervical and vaginal swabs were collected for the diagnosis of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis and Trichomonas vaginalis. Single infections were found in 21.5% of the women, with C. trachomatis being the commonest (10.0%). Mixed infections were found in nine women, with trichomoniasis and chlamydial infections in six. During speculum examination, vaginal discharge was observed in 73% of the women. The commonest organism detected in patients with vaginal discharge was C. trachomatis (11.6%), while T. vaginalis (11.1%) was the most common in women without visible vaginal discharge. No significant differences were found when comparing symptomatic and non-symptomatic women. This study strongly recommends that women presenting for termination of pregnancy be screened for STIs and receive relevant sexual health education.

Sexually Transmitted Infections in Women Participating in a Biomedical Intervention Trial in Durban: Prevalence, Coinfections, and Risk Factors

“…Swygard et al [ 17 ] reported coinfection rates between CT and TV to be 15–28% in the USA. In South Africa, coinfection rates for CT and TV have only been reported in men with urethritis [ 18 ] and pregnant women [ 19 ], thereby limiting the comparison of our study data with other reports from South Africa. To the best of our knowledge, our data is novel in nonpregnant women and suggests that younger women whether pregnant or not have a higher prevalence of STIs.…”

High prevalence of asymptomatic sexually transmitted infections among human immunodeficiency virus-infected pregnant women in a low-income South African community

“…Consistent with findings from other studies, the majority of women in our study with STIs were asymptomatic. 21,22 Self-reported symptoms only identified a quarter of women with STIs, while clinician-observed symptoms could only identify about a third. Though the sensitivity of symptom screening seemed enhanced when self-reported and clinician-observed symptoms were combined, less than half of women with STI infections would have been correctly identified using this combined screening method.…”

Prevalence and Determinants of Sexually Transmitted Infections in Women at Risk Undergoing Abortion in a Swiss Primary Care Setting

“…Data on the prevalence of NG infection in the general population do not seem to exist. Studies based on females undergoing TOP in a hospital setting mentioned infection rates as follows: CT 2.8% to 15.74%; MG 0.98% to 8.7%; NG 0.67% to 3% (12,(15)(16)(17)(18). Reasons for these wide ranges are multifarious, e.g.…”