Prevalence of Bacterial Vaginosis Among Sexually Active Females in a Tertiary Institution in Benin Metropolis Nigeria

Bacterial vaginosis is the most prevalent cause of abnormal vaginal discharge in women between the ages of 15 and 44years. Bacterial vaginosis, if untreated can progress to pelvic inflammatory disease,preterm labour and ultimately infertility. The aim of this study was to determine the risk factors andtheir association with the prevalence of bacterial vaginosis among sexually active females in a tertiary institution in Benin metropolis. This study recruited 113 randomly selected sexually active females in a tertiary institution in Benin metropolis. The age range was 16years to 37years. After informed consent, sterile swab sticks were used to collect high vaginal swab and immediately sent for laboratory analysis. Nugent scoring method was applied for bacterial vaginosis. Results obtained were statistically analyzed. A total prevalence of 47.8% bacterial vaginosis was obtained among sexually active females in a tertiary institution in Benin metropolis. The highest prevalence of bacterial vaginosis was among age 21-25years (35.2%), 16-20years (29.6%) while 31-35 years had the least prevalence (3.7%). Bacterial vaginosis varied significantly with tribes, Bini recorded the highest prevalence (38.9%), Esan (22.2%), others (14.8%), Etsako (13.0%) and Yoruba’s recording the least prevalence (3.7%).Marital status and frequency of sex did not significantly influence the prevalence of bacterial vaginosis (P=1.000; P=0.065) among sexually active females in a tertiary institution in Benin metropolis. Candida albicans, a fungus was also found (45.1%) among the study population. Public enlightenment on Bacterial vaginosis, its symptoms and effects, cessation of douching and smoking and limiting the number of sex partners is advised.