Reproductive tract infections among married women in Upper Egypt.

In a house-to-house survey using cluster sampling, 1344 married women from urban and rural areas of Upper Egypt (Minia, Assiut and Sohag) were interviewed and examined to study the magnitude and determinants of reproductive tract infections. Overall prevalence was found to be 52.8%, with the most prevalent forms being Candida albicans (28.0%), Trichomonas vaginalis (8.7%), Aspergillus species (7.4%), streptococci (4.6%) and Chlamydia trachomatis (4.2%). Multivariate analysis identified certain groups of women at high risk of developing reproductive tract infections (those currently using an intrauterine device, those who regularly practised internal vaginal washing). Discriminant analysis showed that symptoms were of low discriminating value. There is a great need to increase community and women's understanding of reproductive tract infections.