This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
USPSTF: Insufficient evidence to recommend bacterial vaginosis screening in pregnant women
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force did not find enough evidence to recommend screening for bacterial vaginosis in asymptomatic pregnant women who are at increased risk for pre-term delivery.
The task force also recommends against bacterial vaginosis screening in asymptomatic pregnant women who are not at increased risk for pre-term delivery.
Previous studies have shown that the risk for preterm delivery doubled in women with asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis, but the exact reason for this link remains unclear, according to the USPSTF.
Although the data did not rise to the level of providing higher grade recommendations, , the USPSTF’s draft recommendation and evidence review are still “valuable resources” for clinicians, according to task force member Melissa A. Simon, MD, MPH.
“These documents feature the latest relevant research on this topic, as well as an explanation of the benefits and harms associated with screening for bacterial vaginosis,” she told Healio Primary Care. “We encourage clinicians to use this information to help guide their clinical practice until there is more evidence available that is relevant to pregnant people at increased risk for preterm delivery.”
Simon, who is also the vice chair for clinical research in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University, said clinicians should continue to rely on their best judgment based on the circumstances of individual patients until more evidence becomes available on screening for bacterial vaginosis in this population.
“We encourage clinicians to talk to patients about their individual risk factors in order to help decide whether screening may be right for them,” she said.
Simon pointed to previously issued USPSTF recommendations for asymptomatic bacteriuria and preeclampsia, which may be helpful.
The USPSTF’s draft statement and evidence review regarding screening for bacterial vaginosis in pregnant women at increased risk for pre-term delivery is available for public comment on the USPSTF website: www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org. Input will be accepted through Nov. 4 at www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/tfcomment.htm. – by Janel Miller
Disclosure: Simon reports no relevant financial disclosures.