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frequently by sexually tranmitted disease agents such a s the
gonococci and chlamydia.
A high res istance af qc noc c I to the penicillins has been
observed i n many countries i n sub-Saharan Afri ca [ 48 ,56 , 64] .
The penicill ins h owever were t he drugs most f r equently used by
t he women in t he i r e ffo r t s to treat themselves. Th e microbial
resistance cou l d also explain why the self-treatments were
ineffective in al l eviating symptoms and sig ns i n these
SUb j e c ts .
The long-te r m hazards the Kumasi wome n fa c e from t heir
i ne f f ect ive attempts t o treat their pelvic infections are
mUltiple . They r un a very high p e rsonal risk o f develop i ng
c h ronic pe l vic infection with its s e q ue l a e of ectopic
pregnancies, s e con d a r y infertility and chronic pelvic pain .
The abuse o f antibiotics also has pUblic health implications,
as it will r esult in sexua l ly t r a ns mi t t e d disease infections
from resi s t an t bacterial s trains that wi ll be difficult a nd
expensive t o trea t . These women appear unaware o f the
complic a t ions associated with t he i r practice . The situation
calls for urgent public health ac tion.
Lowe r genital tract i nfection :
Lower genital tract infection(LGTI) occurred i n about 15%
of SUbj ects. wi th the exception of one c a s e of Bartholin's
abscess a l l other LGTI in SUbj ects were i n f ec t i ons of pe rineal