A prospective study to identify the prevalence of vulvovaginal candidiasis in second trimester

Introduction: Prevention of preterm birth remains one of the greatest challenges in present day Obstetrics. Several factors indicate an association between vaginal candidiasis and preterm births. Candida can be isolated from the amniotic fluid of the pregnant women with preterm deliveries. Materials and Methods: The study was a hospital based prospective study conducted in Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College and Hospital Jamshedpur, Jharkhand over a period of 6 months (March 2020-August 2020). The study population was selected from the patients who were attending the antenatal outpatient department after getting the detailed informed consent. A detailed clinical history was taken from the patients; age, parity, presence or absence of symptoms (vaginal discharge, itching or burning) and risk factors (diabetes, use of antibiotics in the past, previous history of candidiasis and history of immunosuppression) associated with vaginal candidiasis were recorded. Results: Majority of patients were in age group between 26-30 years. Least belonged to group >35 years. 21 patients were of group 20-25 years. 31-35 years group had 6 patients. Gravida 2 was the most common parity on our study. Next common group was primi. Lowest was G3 and G4. Conclusion: Our study concluded that candidiasis is more prevalent in pregnant women but there was no statistical significance in occurrence of vaginal candidiasis among various age groups, parity or trimester. Hence it is better to screen all the patients in I early II trimester in order to find out and treat positive cases early to prevent preterm births attributed to vaginal candidiasis