Common condition of bacterial vaginosis now classified as an STI

Researchers have discovered bacterial vaginosis, a condition that affects one in three women, is a sexually transmitted infection, and the missing link for treating it is … men.

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Groundbreaking research has found that the missing link for women suffering with bacterial vaginosis is actually their male counterparts.

Monash University, in collaboration with Alfred Health researchers, discovered the all-too-common condition – which affects nearly a third of women globally and causes infertility, premature births and newborn deaths – is in fact a sexually transmitted infection (STI).

In a study by Professor Catriona Bradshaw and Dr Lenka Vodstrcil, published on Thursday in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, 164 couples underwent treatment for BV as an STI.

This differs from standard practice which includes treating BV as an imbalance to the vaginal microbiome, with over half of women experiencing a recurrence within three months after taking a week-long dosage of oral antibiotics.

Luke Pavic was a participant in the groundbreaking trial with his now ex-partner Kate, who had suffered with regular bouts of BV (Bacterial Vaginosis). Picture: Supplied

‘Cheap and short’ intervention

By treating both parties simultaneously, the woman taking first-line recommended antibiotics and the male receiving an oral antibiotic and a topic antibiotic cream, it saw a significant increase in cure rates – even as far as researchers deciding to stop the trial early with recurrences halved in the partner treatment group.

“This successful intervention is relatively cheap and short and has the potential for the first time to not only improve BV cure for women, but opens up exciting new opportunities for BV prevention, and prevention of the serious complications associated with BV,” Professor Bradshaw said.

“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.”

Dr Vodstrcil added: “We’ve suspected for a long time that it’s a sexually transmitted infection (STI), because it has a similar incubation period (after sex) to most STIs and is associated with the same risk factors as STIs like chlamydia, such as change in sexual partner and not using condoms.”

BV had already been known to increase the risk of contracting other STI’s, she said.

‘Bonding experience’

Luke Pavic, from Hobart, was a participant in the trial with his now ex-partner Kate*.

Kate, along with Pavic’s previous girlfriend, had regularly suffered with bouts of BV.

Pavic said before the study there was very little knowledge about the condition, with his past partners taking the week-long antibiotic treatment and “just get[ting] through it”.

“It’s just mind-boggling. It’s taken 20 years or whatever to get to this point, and it makes perfect sense that the male can be a carrier too,” he added.

“I had been with a partner … and she seemed to get BV quite a lot and had it in the time that we were together. Between then and meeting Kate I had all my normal sexual health tests, and then a month later she got BV.

“She had said she was part of the study … of the male also being a carrier so she went through the process of taking the medication for a week and I just had to apply the cream,” Pavic recalled.

“It was all very simple, and a bit of a bonding experience.”

The carpenter believes the trial is “enlightening” and hopes it will bring awareness for further updates and breakthroughs in women’s health.

“I think [the trial] is fantastic … and I’m pretty happy to be on the forefront of it in making everyone’s lives a bit easier.”

*Name has been changed for privacy reasons.