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OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to investigate the influence of vaginal colonization with specific microorganisms
on the relationship between sexual intercourse during pregnancy and preterm delivery.
STUDY DESIGN: As part of a multicenter, prospective study interviews and physical examinations
were conducted with and genital cultures were obtained from women seeking prenatal
care from 23 to 26 weeks' gestation. At 31 to 36 weeks interviews were conducted with
a randomly selected sample of these patients.
RESULTS: Frequent intercourse (defined a priori as once per week or more) at 23 to 26 weeks
was associated with a significantly reduced risk of subsequent preterm delivery in
women without Trichomonas vaginalis, Mycoplasma hominis, or bacterial vaginosis, possibly because of the relative health and lack of complications
in the pregnancies of those women engaging in sexual intercourse. Frequent intercourse
was not significantly associated with preterm delivery in women with T. vaginalis, M. hominis, or bacterial vaginosis. Neither T. vaginalis, M. hominis, nor bacterial vaginosis was associated with preterm delivery among women with infrequent
intercourse at 23 to 26 weeks. However, T. vaginalis and M. hominis were risk factors for preterm delivery among those with frequent intercourse.
CONCLUSIONS: Frequent sexual intercourse by itself is not associated with an increased risk of
preterm birth. However, women who are colonized with specific microorganisms and who
engage in frequent intercourse are at increased risk of preterm delivery.
Key words
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Article Info
Publication History
Accepted:
August 24,
1992
Received in revised form:
August 17,
1992
Received:
April 29,
1992
Footnotes
*Supported by contracts HD-3-2832 through 2836 and AI-4-2532 from the National Institutes of Health.
Identification
Copyright
© 1993 Mosby. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
