DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2018.v06i10.037

Pages: 3873-3879

Reproductive tract infections [RTIs] including sexually transmitted infections [STIs] present a huge burden of disease and adversely impacts the reproductive health of people. About 6% of the adult population in India are infected with one or more RTIs/STIs. Lack of early diagnosis and prompt treatment can compromise women’s health and fertility and at times, even infant health and survival. Individuals with RTIs/STIs have a higher chance of acquiring and transmitting human immunodeficiency virus. Community based estimates of disease burden are much required for a targeted approach towards prevention and control of RTIs and STIs. Hence, the present study has been conducted to determine the prevalence of symptoms of reproductive tract infections among married women of the reproductive age group in an urban field practice area of Chidambaram. This was a descriptive cross sectional study conducted among 350 married women of the reproductive age group [15-45 years] from the month of January 2018 to April 2018. Data was collected using a pretested, structured questionnaire based on WHO syndromic management algorithm. It also consisted of questions on socio-demographic details, obstetric and menstrual history and symptom profile of reproductive tract infections. The prevalence of various symptoms of reproductive tract infections including STIs was 44.3%. Most of the subjects reported abnormal vaginal discharge [30.5%], followed by lower abdominal pain [18.9%] and low back ache [16%]. The least reported symptom was swelling in inguinal region [1.7%]. The high prevalence rate of various symptoms related to RTIs in this study indicates that the problem is still widespread in spite of various health programmes especially for females. This highlights the need for various community based approaches and researches on RTI s and their prevention, including enhanced awareness regarding them.