Background: Prelabour rupture of membranes (PROM) refers to membrane rupture that occurs prior to the initiation of labor. PROM occurs most commonly at term (thirty-seven weeks or longer of pregnancy).
Objectives: To estimate the infection's prevalence of pregnant females presented with PROM and isolate the causative infective pathogens.
Patients and methods: This cohort cross sectional observational investigation was conducted on 100 pregnant women (≥ 32 weeks of gestation) presented with recent preterm PROM (pPROM) or PROM and referred to the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Qena University Hospital, South Valley University, from October 2021 to October 2023.
Results: The gestational age of studied cases with PROM ranged from 32 to 40 weeks, with a mean ± SD of 34.02 ± 4.01 weeks. Positive culture (bacterial growth) was reported in 11% of women, while 89% of them showed no bacterial growth. Those women who reported bacterial growth, 5% of them had gram +ve cocci (Staph. Aureus), 4% had gram -ve bacilli (E. coli), while 2% cases had gram + ve cocci (Staph. Heamolyticus). There wasn't a statistically significant relationship between culture's results and age (p > 0.05).
Conclusion: PROM may develop due to bacterial infections. Factors such as maternal risk factors, rupture length, gestational age, and local epidemiology can affect its prevalence. Diagnostic tests like amniotic fluid analysis can help identify infections, causative infective pathogens, and guide treatment.