Association Between Sexual and Genital Hygiene Habits With the Urinary Tract Infection During Pregnancy: A Case-Control Study

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common type of infection during pregnancy, which cause serious complications for the mother and baby. The present study was conducted to investigate the relationship between sexual and genital hygiene habits and UTIs in pregnant women.

This case-control study was conducted on 187 pregnant women including 97 pregnant women with symptomatic bacteriuria (case) and 90 healthy pregnant women (control). Controls were frequency matched with the cases with respect to the number of pregnancy and trimesters of pregnancy. Both groups were compared for the presence of UTI. Finally, the binary multivariate unconditional logistic regression approach was used to evaluate the association between UTI and the confounding variables.

The results of this study showed a significant association between UTI in pregnancy and sexual and genital hygiene habits (P<0.05). Based on the binary multivariate logistic regression analysis, attributable risks for UTI included having sexual intercourse >3 times/week (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] =3.68, 95% CI = 2.09-5.41, P=0.001), changing the underwear per week (AOR =1.39, 95% CI=1-1.76, P=0.012), not voiding post-coitus (AOR=2.01, 95% CI=1.34-2.69, P=0.01), washing genitalia from back to the front (AOR=1.96, 95% CI=1.06-2.78, P=0.01), and not washing genitals pre-coitus by the husband (AOR=1.20, 95% CI=0.54-1.9, P=0.024) were among the sexual and hygiene habit variables associated with UTI in pregnant women in this model.

In general, sexual and genital hygiene habits are vital preventive actions for controlling the UTI in pregnant women. These actions may lead to UTI complications and a preterm birth reduction. Thus, informing spouses about these practices is highly suggested.