Reproductive tract infections among married women in Upper Egypt

Abstract

In a house-to-house survey using cluster sampling, 1344 married women from urban and rural areas of Upper Egypt [‎Minia, Assiut and Sohag]‎ were interviewed and examined to study the magnitude and determinants of reproductive tract infections. Overall prevalence was found to be 52.8%, with the most prevalent forms being Candida albicans [‎28.0%]‎, Trichomonas vaginalis [‎8.7%]‎, Aspergillus species [‎7.4%]‎, streptococci [‎4.6%]‎ and Chlamydia trachomatis [‎4.2%]‎. Multivariate analysis identified certain groups of women at high risk of developing reproductive tract infections [‎those currently using an intrauterine device, those who regularly practised internal vaginal washing]‎. Discriminant analysis showed that symptoms were of low discriminating value. There is a great need to increase community and women's understanding of reproductive tract infections