Complications of Bacterial vaginosis

Complications list for Bacterial vaginosis: The list of complications that have been mentioned in various sources for Bacterial vaginosis includes:

• Pelvic inflammatory disease
• Ectopic pregnancy
• Premature delivery (see Small baby)
• Low-birth-weight (see Pregnancy symptoms)

Complications of Bacterial vaginosis: In most cases, BV causes no complications. But there are some serious risks from BV:

• Pregnant women with BV more often have babies who are born early or with low birth weight.

• The bacteria that cause BV can sometimes infect the uterus (womb) and fallopian tubes (egg canals). This type of infection is called pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PID can cause infertility or damage the fallopian tubes enough to increase the future risk of ectopic pregnancy and infertility. Ectopic pregnancy is a life-threatening condition in which a fertilized egg grows outside the uterus, usually in a fallopian tube.

• BV can increase a woman's susceptibility to HIV infection if she is exposed to the virus.

• Having BV increases the chances that an HIV-infected woman can pass HIV to her sex partner.

• BV can increase a woman's susceptibility to other STDs, such as chlamydia and gonorrhea.

Researchers have shown an association between BV and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which can cause infertility and tubal (ectopic) pregnancy. BV also can cause adverse outcomes of pregnancy such as premature delivery and low-birth-weight infants. Therefore, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that doctors check all pregnant women for BV who previously have delivered a premature baby, whether or not the women have symptoms. If these women have BV, they should be treated with oral metronidazole or oral clindamycin. A pregnant woman who has not delivered a premature baby should be treated if she has symptoms and laboratory evidence of BV. BV is also associated with increased risk of gonorrhea and HIV infection (HIV, human immunodeficiency virus, causes AIDS). ²

Researchers are investigating the role of bacterial vaginosis in pelvic infections that result in infertility and tubal (ectopic) pregnancy. There is a growing body of evidence suggesting an increase in adverse outcomes of pregnancy such as premature and low-birth-weight infants among women with BV. ³

Footnotes:
1. excerpt from Bacterial Vaginosis (BV): DSTD
2. excerpt from Vaginitis Due to Vaginal Infections, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID
3. excerpt from Vaginal Infections & Vaginitis: NWHIC

Last revision: June 23, 2003

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