Prevention of preterm delivery with treatment of bacterial vaginosis

Canadian Medical Association Journal 1996; 154: 1220

Source: Hauth JC, Goldenberg RL, Andrews WW et al: Reduced incidence of preterm delivery with metronidazole and erythromycin in women with bacterial vaginosis. N Engl J Med 1995; 333: 1732-1736

To determine whether treatment of bacterial vaginosis could reduce the incidence of spontaneous preterm delivery in women at risk, researchers at the University of Alabama randomly assigned 624 pregnant women at risk of preterm delivery to receive metronidazole (250 mg three times daily for 7 days) plus erythromycin (333 mg three times daily for 14 days) or a placebo during their second trimester. Participants were screened for bacterial vaginosis at baseline and at 2 to 4 weeks after treatment. Bacterial vaginosis disappeared in 70% of the affected women in the treatment group and in 18% of the affected women in the placebo group. The treatment group had a significantly lower rate of preterm delivery than the placebo group; however, the association between antimicrobial therapy and lower rates of preterm delivery was observed only among participants with bacterial vaginosis.

| CMAJ April 15, 1996 (vol 154, no 8) |