Factors affecting vaginal pH levels among female adolescents attending genitourinary medicine clinics

L. Brabin, S. A. Roberts, E. Fairbrother, D. Mandal, S. P. Higgins, S. Chandiok, P. Wood, G. Barnard, H. C. Kitchener

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    Objectives: Vaginal pH is related to hormonal status, and adolescents experience disturbed hormonal patterns following menarche. We assessed hormonal factors and risk of abnormal vaginal pH and bacterial vaginosis (BV) among adolescents attending genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics. Methods: In a cross sectional study adolescents within 5 years of menarche, ≤ 17 years, or with oligoamenorrhoea were recruited. Vaginal pH and BV were assessed and among those not using hormonal contraceptives, estrone-3-glucuronide (E3G) and pregnanediol-3α-glucuronide (P3G) concentrations were measured. Results: Among 102 adolescents, 59.8% (61) had a high vaginal pH (>4.5), which was higher than the prevalence of BV, detected in 33% (34). No association was found between presence of sexually transmitted infections (STI) and vaginal pH. In logistic regression, after controlling for BV and condom use, vaginal pH was positively associated with cervical ectopy (OR = 2.5; 95% CI 1.0 to 6.6, p = 0.05) and STI treatment history (OR = 2.5; 95% CI 0.9 to 6.5, p = 0.07), and negatively associated with use of Depo-Provera (OR = 0.1; 95% CI 0.03 to 0.6, p = 0.003) and recent onset (
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)483-487
    Number of pages4
    JournalSexually Transmitted Infections
    Volume81
    Issue number6
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Dec 2005

    Keywords

    • Adolescent
    • Epidemiologic Methods
    • Female
    • Humans
    • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
    • Sexual Partners
    • Specimen Handling
    • chemistry: Vagina
    • physiopathology: Vaginosis, Bacterial

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