Abstract

PIP: An analysis of published studies of the effect of antibiotic prophylaxis associated with vacuum aspiration abortion includes an examination of risk factors for pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), cervical and vaginal flora present in early pregnancy and in PID, the effect of surgical scrub and of prophylaxis on flora, principles of antibiotic prophylaxis, and economic costs of PID. From several prospective studies, it is clear that nulliparas, women with a history of PID, those bearing Chlamydia trachomatis are at risk of post-abortion infection. No risk was associated with pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, social class, insertion of an IUD, or timing of resumption of coitus. After an extensive enumeration of microbes found in nonpregnant, pregnant, and PID female genital tracts, it was concluded that only C. trachomatis and N. gonorrheae are clearly associated with PID, while the importance of several other microbes is unclear. Quantitative counts of organisms in any condition are lacking. PID is polymicrobial; different organisms probably account for noniatrogenic PID and post-surgical PID. There is evidence that surgical cleansing of the vagina has no bearing on incidence of post-abortal PID, since the responsible organisms come from the endocervix. 5 controlled clinical trials demonstrated that antibiotic prophylaxis is warranted; that penicillin/ampicillin selectively reduced PID in women with PID history; that imidazoles preferentially reduce PID in the general population without PID history. No lasting side effects or emergence of resistant organisms was reported. The treatment was cost effective, cutting health costs and labor losses 5-8%, and reducing the incidence of spontaneous abortion, secondary infertility, and chronic pain.