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. 1979 Jun 2;1(6176):1450–1455. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.6176.1450

Vaginal microbial flora in normal young women.

M J Goldacre, B Watt, N Loudon, L J Milne, J D Loudon, M P Vessey
PMCID: PMC1599075  PMID: 380743

Abstract

Vaginal swabs were taken from 1498 women attending a family planning clinic. The flora was assessed in the absence of any information about the women to whom the swabs related. Yeasts and fungi were present in 311 women (21%) and were no more prevalent among "pill" users than others. Candida albicans was significantly associated with vulval itching and with a vaginal discharge described as heavier than normal or curdy on clinical examination, though these abnormalities were present in only a minority of women with the organism. Trichomonas vaginalis was found in 14 women (1%) and was associated with abnormalities of vaginal discharge in all but one. Gram-negative anaerobic bacilli were significantly more common in women with a troublesome vaginal discharge and those who used an intrauterine device than others. No associations were found between fungi other than C albicans or the other bacteria sought and either symptoms or clinical abnormalities of vaginal discharge.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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