Investigation of the relationship between the family planning methods used by women who apply to the gynecology polyclinic and the frequency of vaginal infections

This research was conducted to examine the relationship between the family planning method used by women applying to the Gynecology outpatient clinic and the frequency of vaginal infections.This descriptive study was conducted with 204 women who applied to the gynecology outpatient clinic at Kızılcahamam State Hospital in Ankara and met the study criteria.The data was collected using the "Introductory Information Form" and "Genital Hygiene Behavior Scale" between 05.12.2022-31.05.2023.Frequency analysis (number, percentage, average), B-independent two sample t-test, Mann Whitney U test, Kruskall Wallis H test, Dunn test, Duncan test and Spearman's rho correlation coefficient were used in the analysis of the data. In this study, the average age of women was found to be 35.0 ± 8.10. In the study, it was determined that the majority of women, 37.2%, had a bachelor's degree or higher and 42.1% were housewives. It was found that 38.7% of women used condoms as a family planning method in the last year, 67.2% stated that the family planning method they used was effective, and 33.3% thought that the family planning method they used was reliable. It was found that 60.8% of the women did not experience abnormal vaginal discharge, 50% of them occasionally experienced abnormal vaginal discharge, and 87.3% did not currently have a vaginal infection.The average score on genital hygiene behavior of the women participating in the study is 95.7±9.1. In this study, it was determined that women's education level, unintended pregnancy experience, previous use of family planning method and current vaginal infection affected their genital hygiene behaviors. While women's general hygiene habits increased as they got older, menstrual hygiene and awareness of abnormal findings decreased. It is recommended that health professionals serving in the field of women's health evaluate the frequency of vaginal infection and genital hygiene behaviors of women applying to gynecology clinics in order to increase the quality of life of women. Key Words: Women, Family Planning, Vaginal Infection, Nursing.