Effects of oral contraceptive pill use on vaginal flora and vaginal epithelium

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of oral contraceptive (OC:) use on vaginal discharge, epithelium, and flora. Thirty women who pl anned to use OC for contraception were evaluated before and 2 months after the start of QC use. At both visits, genital symptoms and exposures were as sessed by questionnaire; vaginal signs were assessed by speculum examinatio n and colposcopy; vaginal microflora was evaluated by quantitative culture; and a vaginal biopsy was obtained for histopathologic evaluation. Variable s were compared between the initial visit and after 2 months of OC use. It was found that OC use did not change the gross, colposcopic, or histologic appearance of the vaginal epithelium or characteristics of vaginal or cervi cal discharge. Vaginal flora essentially remained unchanged after 2 months of OC use, except that a small decrease occurred in the number of subjects with greater than or equal to 10(5) colony forming units/ml of H2O2 produci ng Lactobacillus from 16 at baseline to 9 (p = 0.04) and in the total numbe r of subjects with Ureaplasma urealyticum from 17 at baseline to 10 of 29 ( p = 0.04). The results indicate minimal effect of OC use on the vaginal epi thelium and vaginal and cervical discharge, and a small effect on vaginal f lora. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.