Columbus, Ohio -- Digital cervical examinations during labor increase the risk of vaginal bacteria entering the cervix and the uterus and causing harm to the newborn, new research at Ohio State University suggests.

While many bacteria are harmless, increased amounts of certain bacteria may be of concern to women who have ruptured fetal membranes when they go through childbirth.

Potentially harmful bacteria may enter the ruptured membranes and cause inflammation of the sacs that surround the fetus. These bacteria, such as the infection-causing Enteroccocus species, may then be passed along to the baby during birth.

Researchers examined 35 pregnant women and found that the amounts of vaginal bacteria that have gotten into the cervix and uterus nearly doubled in 28 patients (80 percent) after a digital exam. Doctors use digital examination -- inserting a gloved finger into the vagina and cervix -- during labor to determine how much the cervix of a pregnant woman has dilated.

"Previous studies have linked digital examination and intrauterine infection, but none has shown with certainty that digital exams introduce bacteria into the cervix and uterus," said Wayne Trout, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Ohio State.

The research appears in a recent issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics
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Contact: Wayne Trout
Trout.2@osu.edu
614-293-8000
Ohio State University
28-Jun-1999