Cervical leukocytosis and abnormal post-coital test: a diagnostic and therapeutic approach.
Inflammatory processes and cell-mediated immunological reactions in the cervix and vagina have been implicated as causal factors in some cases of infertility. This investigation examined whether cervical Papanicolaou (PAP) smears in combination with post-coital tests could reveal infertile patients with asymptomatic cervical leukocytosis. Women (n = 56) attending a hospital-based community infertility clinic were subjected to post-coital tests and simultaneous preparation of cervical PAP smears. Those women (n = 18) with both abnormal post-coital tests and asymptomatic cervical leukocytosis, based on abnormally high numbers of leukocytes in the PAP smear, were randomly divided into two groups. One group (n = 10) received antibiotic therapy and the other (n = 8) received no therapy. In the treated group six women became pregnant within 3 months after treatment; none of the eight untreated patients became pregnant within the same period. These results suggest that cervical PAP smears, in cases with abnormal post-coital tests, are useful in detecting couples whose infertility may be due to simple, undetected, asymptomatic bacterial infections.
Matilsky
M
M
Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department, Central Emek Hospital, Afula, Israel.
Ben-Ami
M
M
Geslevich
Y
Y
Eyali
V
V
Shalev
E
E
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003075:Coitus / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000209:etiology*; D007964:Leukocytosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D065006:Papanicolaou Test; D002577:Uterine Cervical Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D014626:Vaginal Smears
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents