Results

Demographic and gestation characteristics

In total, 85 pregnant women took part in this study. Women’s mean age was 27.40(±4.67) years and the youngest and the eldest women were 20 and 37 years old respectively. Majority of women were 26-31 years of age (40%), 28-35 weeks pregnant (34%) and primigravida (41%) (Table 1).
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Physical characteristics and laboratory examination of vaginal discharge

Vaginal discharge was reported by 89% (n=76) women. Of these women, 32% (n=24) had normal (physiological) discharge and 68% (n=52) had pathological discharge. Physiological vaginal discharge was watery coloured discharge (n=24,100%) and it was a slight stain in quantity (n=22, 92%) and odourless (n=23, 96%) while pathological discharge was mostly yellowish curd (n=17, 33%), soaking clothes in quantity (n=35, 67%) and foul smelling (n=27, 52%) (Table 2).
Laboratory examination of vaginal discharge samples confirmed vaginal infections which included bacterial vaginosis (n=21, 24.7%), candidiasis (n=18, 21.2%), and trichomoniasis (n=15, 17.6%). There was statistically significant association between pathological vaginal discharge and bacterial vaginosis (P < 0.0001), candidiasis (P = 0.005) and trichomoniasis (P = 0.018) (Table 2).
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Vaginal discharge and adverse maternal, pregnancy and neonatal outcomes

A higher proportion of pregnant women with pathological vaginal discharge reported statistically significant adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. The significant adverse maternal outcomes associated with pathological discharge were irritation (P < 0.0001), pain (P < 0.0001), uterine contractions (P < 0.0001), premature membrane rupture (P < 0.0001), abortion (P < 0.042), pre-term delivery (P < 0.0001) and post-partum endometritis (P < 0.0001) (Table 3). The adverse neonatal outcomes significantly associated with pathological vaginal discharge were low birth weight (P < 0.0001), low Apgar score at birth (P < 0.0001), respiratory distress syndrome (P < 0.0001), intensive neonatal care hospitalisation (P = 0.001) and early neonatal death (P = 0.002) (Table 3).
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