Does Bacterial Vaginosis Contribute to Preterm Labor?
By Jennifer Kragt, The Preemie Place The views represented here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Advisory Board of Pregnancy & Birth Section of OBGYN.net Introduction Over the past several years, scientific studies from several sources have linked bacterial vaginosis (BV) with premature labor 1-3. In fact, evidence of a causal relationship between the relatively common vaginal infection and one of the mysteries of modern obstetrics was significant enough to suggest that health-care providers should monitor even asymptomatic pregnant women for BV, and/or prescribe low-grade antibiotics for a certain period during gestation. However, a 2000 study by Carey et al for the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) found that a group of women who received an antibiotic between their 16th and 23rd weeks of pregnancy, and their second treatment between their 24th and 29th weeks of pregnancy were not any less likely to experience premature labor than a
