Purpose of investigation: To determine which clinical signs have an important contribution in bacterial vaginosis (BV) diagnosed by Nugent's criteria.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 58 women undergoing vaginal examination at Hayashi women's clinic, Hyogo Prefecture. Characteristics of vaginal discharge (color, amount, odor, and pH level) and the number of clue cells were compared among normal, intermediate, and BV groups. BV was diagnosed by using Nugent's criteria.
Results: The incidence of BV in our study population was 25.9%. Compared to the non-BV group, women in the BV group were found more often to have yellowish color and a moderate amount of discharge (66.67% vs 33.33%, NS; 55.56% vs 44.44%, NS), odorous discharge (100% vs 0%, p < 0.05) and furthermore, pH level and the number of clue cells were significantly higher.
Conclusion: Odor, pH level and the number of clue cells in the vaginal discharge were helpful clinical signs for early detection of BV diagnosed by Nugent's criteria.