title: Incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease after first-trimester legal abortion in women with bacterial vaginosis after treatment with metronidazole: a double-blind, randomized study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of metronidazole treatment on the incidence of postoperative pelvic inflammatory disease after first-trimester abortion in women with bacterial vaginosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A double-blind, randomized, multicenter study was conducted on 231 women undergoing first-trimester legal abortion and fulfilling the criteria for bacterial vaginosis. The women were randomized to either metronidazole 500 mg three times daily for 10 days or placebo. Treatment was started at the outpatient visit the week before the operation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 174 women who could be evaluated, pelvic inflammatory disease developed in 14 after the abortion. In the treatment group there were three infections (3.8%) compared with 11 (12.2%) in the placebo group (p less than 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data suggest that patients with bacterial vaginosis should be treated in conjunction with first-trimester abortion because treatment with metronidazole reduces the postoperative infection rate more than three times.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Central Hospital, Skövde, Sweden.
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Larsson
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Platz-Christensen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Thejls
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Forsum
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Påhlson
mesh_terms: D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000150:complications; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis; D005260:Female; D006069:Gonorrhea / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008795:Metronidazole / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000292:Pelvic Inflammatory Disease / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011247:Pregnancy; D013548:Sweden; D016585:Vaginosis, Bacterial / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D008795:Metronidazole