Prevalence of bacterial vaginosis in pregnant and non-pregnant Iranian women: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a vaginal disorder which occurs either symptomatic or asymptomatic because of an imbalance between H₂O₂-producing Lactobacillus and Gardnerella vaginalis in the vagina. This systematic review and meta-analysis is the first to determine the prevalence of BV in pregnant and non-pregnant women in Iran.

Methods

We used national (SID, Irandoc, Iranmedex and Magiran) and international (PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar and ISI web of knowledge) electronic databases to systematically search and collect available studies using related keywords (up to 1 December 2017). Inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined to select eligible studies.

Results

The overall prevalence of BV among Iranian women was 18.9% (95% CI 14–25). Gardnerella vaginalis was the most prevalent isolated bacteria. The prevalence of BV in non-pregnant women was 28% (95% CI 15.1–45.9) which was higher compared with pregnant women who had a prevalence of 16.5% (95% CI 12.5–21.6).

Conclusion

The present review revealed a high prevalence of BV in non-pregnant women. Given that BV is associated with a series of reproductive complications such as infertility, taking preventive measures such as awareness of patients as well as monitoring and controlling of syndrome are essential.