Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is one of the most common vaginal infections, affecting 1/3 of women worldwide at some point in their lives. Treatment of BV is simple, but rates of reinfection are high, and often women will struggle with fully eradicating the infection. However, a new study sheds light on what might be causing the issue: their male partners.
What is bacterial vaginosis (BV)?
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common vaginal infection caused by changes in the amount of good bacteria in the vagina. When the vaginal microbiome has more harmful bacteria that overrun the good bacteria, like lactobacilli, BV can develop. This imbalance leads to a wide variety of uncomfortable symptoms such as vaginal discharge, a strong fishy odor, and vaginal irritation/pain.
Your risk of developing BV increases if you have new or multiple sex partners, if you douche, if you are pregnant, or if you use an IUD. BV has also been linked to serious health complications, including increased risk of STI acquisition, and preterm birth.
BV is easily treatable, often using short-term treatments like oral metronidazole or clindamycin, but more than 50% of women experience a recurrence within six months of treatment, which has left patients and physicians searching for better solutions.
A revolutionizing new study about bacterial vaginosis
For decades, BV has been treated as a woman-only issue, and for some women, recurring BV has even affected their quality of life, or their image of themselves. However, recent findings from a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggest a shift in the way we think about the infection: untreated male partners may be reintroducing BV-associated bacteria to women, leading to reinfection.
The study followed 164 heterosexual couples, where women diagnosed with BV were treated with standard antibiotics. In half of these couples, the male partners also received treatment for one week. The results were compelling: only 35% of women in the partner-treatment group experienced a recurrence of BV within 12 weeks, compared to 63% in the control group where only women were treated.
These findings show that male partners may play a role in the persistence and recurrence of the infection. Treating women alongside their male partners resulted in a lower rate of recurrence of BV than treatment of the woman alone.
What do the results of this study mean?
The standard for BV treatment for heterosexual couples may change! In fact, the study had such significant benefits that it was prematurely stopped because it became ethically questionable to withhold the treatment from the control group.
More studies are needed to reinforce these findings and learn more about the situation, but the potential benefits to women’s health are substantial.
How does this finding impact women with same-sex partners?
Unfortunately, there are limited studies of BV in women who have sex with women, and more research is needed. However, there is data that provides evidence that BV risk in women is related to exposure to other female partners and/or a partner with BV, providing support for the concept that BV is likely to be transmitted between women. And no one has studied the same treatment approach as the paper covered here in same-sex couples. Without more scientific data, we can’t conclusively say that treating both partners in same-sex relationships would be effective. However, it seems reasonable to conclude that would be the case.
By including partners in the simple treatment for BV, the small investment in an additional course of antibiotics has the power to prevent recurrence, reduce healthcare costs, and improve patient outcomes—a shift that could redefine the standard of care for BV.
