Mind-body problem.Psychosocial stress may be a factor in the development of bacterial vaginosis Bacterial Vaginosis Definition Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a type of vaginal infection in which the normal balance of bacteria in the vagina is disrupted, allowing the overgrowth of harmful anaerobic bacteria at the expense of protective bacteria. , a condition that can lead to adverse obstetric ob·stet·ric or ob·stet·ri·cal adj. Of or relating to the profession of obstetrics or the care of women during and after pregnancy. obstetrical, obstetric pertaining to or emanating from obstetrics. outcomes, genital tract genital tract n. The genital passages of the urogenital system. Genital tract The organs involved in reproduction. infections and increased susceptibility to STDs.(1) In a yearlong longitudinal study longitudinal study a chronological study in epidemiology which attempts to establish a relationship between an antecedent cause and a subsequent effect. See also cohort study. of nonpregnant 15-44-year-old women attending an Alabama clinic, the odds that a woman had bacterial vaginosis at the time of any given visit increased by 10% for every one-point increase in her score on a standard scale measuring psychosocial stress. Moreover, the odds that a woman who did not have bacterial vaginosis at one visit had it at the next rose by 29% for every one-point increase on the stress scale. These associations were statistically significant and were independent of the effects of demographic and behavioral characteristics. According to the researchers, the findings suggest that the effect of stress "is related to the development of [bacterial vaginosis] rather than its maintenance over time"; the investigators acknowledge the need for additional research exploring the mechanisms underlying this effect. (1.) Nansel TR et al., The association of psychosocial stress and bacterial vaginosis in a longitudinal cohort, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology obstetrics and gynecology Medical and surgical specialty concerned with the management of pregnancy and childbirth and with the health of the female reproductive system. , 2006, 194(2):381-386. |
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