A Comparative Study to Evaluate the Effect of Vaginal pH on Cervical Ripening with Dinoprostone Gel between Rural and Urban Prime Gravid Patients: An Hospital Based Study

Effect of Vaginal pH on Cervical Ripening with Dinoprostone Gel

Abstract

Background: Vaginal pH change also has a role in preterm delivery which suggests that it has a role in influencing cervical ripening. The aim of this study to evaluated the effect of vaginal pH on cervical ripening with dinoprostone (PGE₂) gel between rural and urban primegravida.Subjects and Methods:This is hospital based comparative study done on 50 pregnant women admitted in labour room for induction of labour and fulfilling inclusion/exclusion criteria at Obstetrics and gynaecology department, RNT Medical college, Udaipur. Group I included patients with vaginal pH <4.5 and Group II included vaginal pH>4.5. A vaginal examination was then performed to determine the Bishop's score. After ruling out all contraindications Dinoprostone gel was applied endocervically.Results:Our study showed that mean age of pregnant women was 25.10 yrs in rural patients and 24.56 yrs in urban patients. The high vaginal pH (>4.5) was more in urban pregnant women as compare to rural pregnant women, it was statistically non-significant (P=0.1062) and low vaginal pH (?4.5) was more in rural as compare to urban. The augmentation required, time to active labor & time to induction delivery interval was not statistically significant (P=0.4276, P=0.2341 & P=0.1445 respectively) in between rural & urban pregnant women. LSCS was more common in rural as compare to urban pregnant women, but did not statistically significant (P=0.1945 NS).Conclusion: We concluded that higher vaginal pH more often responds to a single induction and is more often associated with vaginal deliveries rather than non-progress of labor.