Reproductive tract infections, gynaecological morbidity and HIV seroprevalence among women in Mumbai, India
Brabin, L.; Gogate, A.; Gogate, S.; Karande, A.; Khanna, R.; Dollimore, N.; de Koning, K.; Nicholas, S.; Hart, C.A.
Bulletin of the World Health Organization 76(3): 277-287
1998
ISSN/ISBN: 0042-9686 PMID: 9744248 Document Number: 278369
A case-control study conducted in 1993-95 among women 35 years of age and younger living in three inner-city wards of Mumbai, India, investigated the prevalence of reproductive tract infections and their contribution to pelvic infection. Enrolled as cases were 151 women admitted to the hospital with suspected pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and 295 infertile women; 2433 healthy fertile women undergoing laparoscopic tubal ligation served as controls. Adverse pregnancy outcomes were reported significantly more often by cases than controls. 31.8% of suspected PID cases, 9.1% of infertile women, and 53.1% of tubal ligation patients reported ever-use of a contraceptive method, primarily a copper IUD. At examination, 24.2% of cases and 8.4% of controls had a vaginal discharge. Pelvic infection was confirmed in 42.0% of suspected PID cases and in 14.6% of infertile women in whom diagnostic laparoscopy was performed. HIV prevalence was 1.9% in unlinked samples. The prevalence of other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) was under 1%. The gynecologic morbidity recorded in this study is presumed to be a result of widespread use of invasive methods of fertility regulation, not STDs.