Prevalence of bacteria in the vagina of normal young women.

Summary We report on factors related to the prevalence of bacteria in the vagina of 1498 women who were attending a family planning clinic. Anaerobes were significantly commoner in women with an abnormal vaginal discharge on clinical examination, in women with a history of a troublesome vaginal discharge and in women who used an intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD) than in others. The association between anaerobes and abnormalities of vaginal discharge was found both in women who used the IUCD and in women who did not. We found no significant associations between symptoms and other bacterial species or combinations of species. Coliforms were significantly commoner in women who did not use tampons, in women who used the diaphragm and in women who had received recent antibacterial or antifungal treatment than in others. Lactobacilli were significantly commoner in women who used the contraceptive pill, and were significantly less common in women who harboured Candida albicans, anaerobes, coliforms or enterococci and in women who had been treated with antibacterial drugs, than in others. We found no important associations between the presence of bacteria and the patients' age, parity or social class.