National Center for Health Research, November 4, 2019
National Center for Health Research’s Public Comments on the
USPSTF’s Draft Recommendation Statement Concerning
Bacterial Vaginosis in Pregnant Persons to Prevent Preterm Delivery: Screening
Thank you for the opportunity to express our views on the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) draft Recommendation Statement regarding screening for bacterial vaginosis in pregnant persons to prevent preterm delivery. The National Center for Health Research is a nonprofit think tank that conducts, analyzes, and scrutinizes research, policies, and programs on a range of issues related to health and safety. We do not accept funding from companies that make products that are the subject of our work, so we have no conflicts of interest.
We support the USPSTF’s caution in making recommendations to screen for bacterial vaginosis, given the lack of convincing evidence that it leads to a clinical benefit. Studies evaluating treatment of bacterial vaginosis on preterm delivery have mixed results, so it is difficult to determine if treatment reduces risk for preterm delivery. As discussed in the recommendation and review, the causes of preterm delivery are influenced by a multitude of factors, and new research is needed to better inform future recommendations.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on screening for bacterial vaginosis in pregnant persons.
For questions or more information, please contact Stephanie Fox-Rawlings, PhD at the National Center for Health Research at sfr@center4research.org or at (202) 223-4000.