Exposure to chronic stress and ethnic differences in rates of bacterial vaginosis among pregnant women

Greater amounts of stress may explain why African-American women are more likely to have bacterial vaginosis during pregnancy than white women. In a study of 2,304 pregnant women, 64% of the African-American women had bacterial vaginosis compared to 35% of the white women. However, one-third of the black women experienced threats to their personal safety and 63% lived in a rough neighborhood. Among the white women, these percentages were 13% and 25%, respectively.