Posted on 03/16/2025 4:37:02 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
A study reveals that bacterial vaginosis (BV), a condition affecting nearly a third of women worldwide and causing infertility, premature births and newborn deaths, is in fact a sexually transmitted infection (STI), paving the way for a revolution in how it is treated.
The standard practice of treating BV as an imbalance (disruption) to the vaginal microbiome means that more than 50% of women get it back within three months after the standard week-long treatment of an oral antibiotic.
In their trial of 164 couples with BV in monogamous relationships, they found that treating BV as an STI, with both sexual partners treated simultaneously, achieves significantly higher cure rates than the current practice of only treating women.
In fact, they stopped the trial early when it became clear that BV recurrence was halved in the partner treatment group compared to treating women alone.
In the multicentre randomized trial, all women received first-line recommended antibiotics. Male partners were randomly assigned to either partner-treatment, where they received both an oral antibiotic and a topical antibiotic cream for one week, or to a control group. The control group for this trial received female antibiotic treatment only and no partner treatment, which is the global recommended practice.
Couples only took antibiotics for one week but were then followed up for 12 weeks to establish how effective this intervention was in curing BV over three months.
"Our trial has shown that reinfection from partners is causing a lot of the BV recurrence women experience, and provides evidence that BV is in fact an STI."
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
In this matter, it seems the guys were the long-term bacterial reservoir.
So those practicing monogamy and no fornication beforehand would not be affected?
News like this is find very helpful. I’m single and as horny as the next guy. But there’s waaay too many reasons like this not to mention relationship hassles that help me stay single, safe, simple, Secure, and Sane!
Can’t wait for the medication ad blitz.
Wow, even I might have guessed men might have something do do with it.
But, What’s love got to do with it ? Nothing
It’s just 33% of all women who have this.
Of course, there are other VDs out there, too, though.
Same idea with trichomoniasis. Treat the male partner also, because if untreated, he acts like a reservoir. Now if women has multiple partners and some unknown...she might have reinfections again and again. Long term infections can be very harmful to male or female.
Info brought to you by Hugh Hefner School of Public and Sexual Health.(not)
Are there any symptoms? Is there a test to see if you are a carrier?
Can it be spread through skin contact? Toilet seats?
Is it because these 33 % of women have sexual relations with men who engage in sexual relations with other men?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.