Background & aims: Genital hygiene behaviors play a crucial role in the prevention of urinary tract infections, especially during pregnancy.This study aimed to determine the effects of genital hygiene education on genital hygiene behavior and self-care efforts in pregnant women diagnosed with urinary tract infections. Methods: The study was conducted between September 2021 and February 2022 in gynecology and obstetrics outpatient clinics in eastern Türkiye. Data were collected using a Personal Information Form, the Genital Hygiene Behaviors Scale, and the Exercise of Self-Care Agency Scale. Eighty pregnant women were included in each group. The experimental group received genital hygiene education, while the control group received no intervention. Statistical analyses were performed in SPSS version 25.0 using frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation values, independent-samples t-tests, and paired-samples t-tests. Results: Post-education measurements showed that the experimental group had significantly higher mean scores on the general hygiene habits (57.26 ± 3.20) and awareness of abnormal findings (14.17 ± 1.92) dimensions of the Genital Hygiene Behaviors Scale, as well as overall Exercise of Self-Care Agency Scale scores (127.75 ± 15.06), compared to the control group (46.61 ± 5.52; 12.46 ± 2.86; 106.53 ± 22.76, respectively). Conclusion: The results of this study demonstreted that genital hygiene education provided to pregnant women with urinary tract infections improved their hygiene behaviors and self-care skills. This suggests that such education during pregnancy may help lower the risk of infection and support maternal health.
ELGİN,T and GÜNEY,E . (2026). A Step toward Safer Motherhood: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Genital Hygiene Education for Pregnant Women with UTIs. Journal of Midwifery and Reproductive Health, (), 1-8. doi: 10.22038/jmrh.2026.86759.2630
MLA
ELGİN,T , and GÜNEY,E . "A Step toward Safer Motherhood: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Genital Hygiene Education for Pregnant Women with UTIs", Journal of Midwifery and Reproductive Health, , , 2026, 1-8. doi: 10.22038/jmrh.2026.86759.2630
HARVARD
ELGİN T, GÜNEY E. (2026). 'A Step toward Safer Motherhood: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Genital Hygiene Education for Pregnant Women with UTIs', Journal of Midwifery and Reproductive Health, (), pp. 1-8. doi: 10.22038/jmrh.2026.86759.2630
CHICAGO
T ELGİN and E GÜNEY, "A Step toward Safer Motherhood: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Genital Hygiene Education for Pregnant Women with UTIs," Journal of Midwifery and Reproductive Health, (2026): 1-8, doi: 10.22038/jmrh.2026.86759.2630
VANCOUVER
ELGİN T, GÜNEY E. A Step toward Safer Motherhood: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Genital Hygiene Education for Pregnant Women with UTIs. JMRH. 2026;():1-8. doi: 10.22038/jmrh.2026.86759.2630
