THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN KNOWLEDGE OF GENITAL HYGIENE WITH THE OCCURRENCE OF VAGINAL DISCHARGE IN PREGNANT WOMEN

Abstract

One infection that often occurs with pregnant women is Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) which is one of the leading causes of maternal and newborn deaths. Based on data from the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia, the largest number of STI cases is abnormal vaginal discharge. During pregnancy, vaginal secretions increase by 50.8% and many pregnant women experience vaginal discharge problems. The cause of vaginal discharge in pregnant women can be caused by direct factors and indirect factors. Direct factors are fungi and bacteria while indirect factors can be caused by the knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of pregnant women.  This study aim to determine the relationship between knowledge of genital hygiene and the occurrence of vaginal discharge in pregnant women. This study is a quantitative study with a cross sectional design. The population in this study were all pregnant women who performed pregnancy checks at the East Jakarta Regional Health Center, totaling 97 samples with purposive sampling technique. data analysis using univariate and bivariate analysis using the chi square test. Based on the results of the study, the P-value for knowledge was P=0.000 or P-value ≤ 0.05. So it can be concluded that there is a relationship between knowledge and the incidence of vaginal discharge in pregnant women at the Kramat Jati Sub-District Health Center, East Jakarta.