Sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with bacterial vaginosis among asymptomatic nonpregnant women in the Philippines

Abstract – Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common gynecological condition among women of reproductive age that occurs due to a dysbiosis in the vaginal microbiota. It is associated with several serious obstetric and gynecological complications, such as pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, postpartum infections, and increased risk of other genital tract infections. This community-based cross-sectional study aimed to determine the BV proportion and associated risk factors among 1, 133 asymptomatic nonpregnant women in the Philippines. Nugent scoring of the Gram stain of vaginal smears was used to diagnose BV at a score range of 7 to 10. Sociodemographic and behavioral data were collected using a pre-tested and semi-structured questionnaire in Filipino. In this study, the overall proportion of women with BV was 24.18% (95% CI: 21.78 – 26.76). Multivariable regression analyses showed that older age (aOR: 1.03; 95% CI: 1.01 – 1.05), having a part-time work status (aOR: 1.99; 95% CI: 1.04 – 3.83), and younger age at first vaginal intercourse sex (aOR: 0.93; 95% CI: 0.88 - 0.97) were associated with higher odds of having BV. On the other hand, being a former alcohol drinker (aOR: 0.42; 95% CI: 0.30 – 0.59), living in a rural area (aOR: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.35 – 0.93), and progestin-only contraceptive use (aOR 0.67; 95% CI 0.47–0.95) were factors associated with lower odds of BV among nonpregnant women. In conclusion, this study provided updated epidemiologic data on BV among asymptomatic nonpregnant women of reproductive age in the Philippines, with significant associations observed with age, sexual and work history, alcohol use, and place of residence.