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CNN
06-03-2025
- Health
- CNN
Common vaginal condition is really an STD, study finds
A common but potentially dangerous vaginal infection that affects nearly 1 in 3 women globally should be considered a sexually transmitted disease, a new study says. Bacterial vaginosis, or BV, is currently viewed as a woman's issue, thus leaving the sexual partner untreated. 'I started getting them quite recurrently. I'd go to doctors and get treated with antibiotics, and it would almost always come back,' said Hanae, a woman who participated in the clinical trial on BV conducted in Melbourne, Australia. 'It's like not really worth it for me to even go to doctors,' said Hanae, whose last name was withheld by the study authors to protect her privacy. For half of all women with bacterial vaginosis, the infection returns after completion of a week of antibiotics, the preferred medical treatment for BV, said first author Lenka Vodstrcil, a senior research fellow at the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre at Monash University in Australia. 'The bacteria that cause BV can be located in men, especially in penile skin and also in the urethra,' Vodstrcil said in a news release. 'This suggests that BV is probably sexually transmitted, and that is why so many women get it back again after treatment.' When BV was treated as a sexually transmitted disease, with both partners receiving oral antibiotics and men using topical creams, the recurrence rate dropped by over half, according to the study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. '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 a STI (sexually transmitted infection),' said senior author Catriona Bradshaw in an email. Bradshaw is a professor at the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre at Monash University. A potentially dangerous infection Symptoms of BV can include itching, pain while urinating, an odd odor and a thin, white vaginal discharge. For some women, however, BV is a silent predator, attacking without such telltale symptoms. If left untreated, bacterial vaginosis can increase the risk of acquiring HIV as well as sexually transmitted infections, according to the World Health Organization. Women with BV can also develop an infection in the fallopian tubes, ovaries or uterus called pelvic inflammatory disease, the WHO states on its website. Such infections can lead to later infertility, experts say. 'We see very significant changes in a range of inflammatory markers, inflammatory cells and bacterial enzymes and products that result in damage to the epithelium — the lining of the reproductive tract,' Bradshaw said. Bacterial vaginosis is especially dangerous during pregnancy. The infection can lead to premature birth, spontaneous abortion and low birth weight in the baby, according to the WHO. It's time for a 'paradigm shift' in treatment The randomized clinical trial of 164 monogamous couples was conducted at multiple centers in Australia. In 81 of the couples, both partners were treated with seven days of oral antibiotics. During that time, the male partner also used a topical antibiotic on their penis twice a day. In accordance with current recommended treatment, only the woman in the other 83 couples was treated with an oral antibiotic. While the study only treated heterosexual couples, it's 'important to note that women in same sex relationships also transmit BV bacteria between each other during sex, and that these same sex couples in monogamous relationships have very high rates of concordance for BV — both have it or both don't have it,' Bradshaw said. The trial was meant to last for 12 weeks, but researchers stopped it early when it was quickly apparent that treating both partners reduced BV occurrence by 60%. Viewing such a common vaginal infection as a sexually transmitted disease would be a 'paradigm shift' and would require doctors to encourage a woman's male partner to share responsibility for transmission and treatment, according to an editorial published alongside the study. 'It will also require a willingness of male partners to commit to taking both oral and topical medications, once notified by their female partner that she has bacterial vaginosis and that it is probably sexually transmitted,' wrote Dr. Christina Muzny and Dr. Jack Sobel, who were not involved in the new research. Muzny is a professor of infectious disease at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Sobel is a professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit. Men in the study had no problem completing the course of oral and topical antibiotics, with few to no side effects, the study found. 'We have now used this medication in close to 300 men and we have not had any report that side effects from the medication would stop them taking it,' Bradshaw said. The Melbourne Sexual Health Centre has already changed its protocols and are now treating both partners when BV is detected, Bradshaw added. For health professionals and couples interested in treating both partners, the research team is developing a website that provides detailed information on male partner treatment. 'Changes in national and international treatment guidelines always take time, so we felt an obligation to provide accurate online and downloadable information,' Bradshaw said.
CNN
06-03-2025
- Health
- CNN
Common vaginal condition is really an STD, study finds
A common but potentially dangerous vaginal infection that affects nearly 1 in 3 women globally should be considered a sexually transmitted disease, a new study says. Bacterial vaginosis, or BV, is currently viewed as a woman's issue, thus leaving the sexual partner untreated. 'I started getting them quite recurrently. I'd go to doctors and get treated with antibiotics, and it would almost always come back,' said Hanae, a woman who participated in the clinical trial on BV conducted in Melbourne, Australia. 'It's like not really worth it for me to even go to doctors,' said Hanae, whose last name was withheld by the study authors to protect her privacy. For half of all women with bacterial vaginosis, the infection returns after completion of a week of antibiotics, the preferred medical treatment for BV, said first author Lenka Vodstrcil, a senior research fellow at the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre at Monash University in Australia. 'The bacteria that cause BV can be located in men, especially in penile skin and also in the urethra,' Vodstrcil said in a news release. 'This suggests that BV is probably sexually transmitted, and that is why so many women get it back again after treatment.' When BV was treated as a sexually transmitted disease, with both partners receiving oral antibiotics and men using topical creams, the recurrence rate dropped by over half, according to the study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. '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 a STI (sexually transmitted infection),' said senior author Catriona Bradshaw in an email. Bradshaw is a professor at the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre at Monash University. A potentially dangerous infection Symptoms of BV can include itching, pain while urinating, an odd odor and a thin, white vaginal discharge. For some women, however, BV is a silent predator, attacking without such telltale symptoms. If left untreated, bacterial vaginosis can increase the risk of acquiring HIV as well as sexually transmitted infections, according to the World Health Organization. Women with BV can also develop an infection in the fallopian tubes, ovaries or uterus called pelvic inflammatory disease, the WHO states on its website. Such infections can lead to later infertility, experts say. 'We see very significant changes in a range of inflammatory markers, inflammatory cells and bacterial enzymes and products that result in damage to the epithelium — the lining of the reproductive tract,' Bradshaw said. Bacterial vaginosis is especially dangerous during pregnancy. The infection can lead to premature birth, spontaneous abortion and low birth weight in the baby, according to the WHO. It's time for a 'paradigm shift' in treatment The randomized clinical trial of 164 monogamous couples was conducted at multiple centers in Australia. In 81 of the couples, both partners were treated with seven days of oral antibiotics. During that time, the male partner also used a topical antibiotic on their penis twice a day. In accordance with current recommended treatment, only the woman in the other 83 couples was treated with an oral antibiotic. While the study only treated heterosexual couples, it's 'important to note that women in same sex relationships also transmit BV bacteria between each other during sex, and that these same sex couples in monogamous relationships have very high rates of concordance for BV — both have it or both don't have it,' Bradshaw said. The trial was meant to last for 12 weeks, but researchers stopped it early when it was quickly apparent that treating both partners reduced BV occurrence by 60%. Viewing such a common vaginal infection as a sexually transmitted disease would be a 'paradigm shift' and would require doctors to encourage a woman's male partner to share responsibility for transmission and treatment, according to an editorial published alongside the study. 'It will also require a willingness of male partners to commit to taking both oral and topical medications, once notified by their female partner that she has bacterial vaginosis and that it is probably sexually transmitted,' wrote Dr. Christina Muzny and Dr. Jack Sobel, who were not involved in the new research. Muzny is a professor of infectious disease at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Sobel is a professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit. Men in the study had no problem completing the course of oral and topical antibiotics, with few to no side effects, the study found. 'We have now used this medication in close to 300 men and we have not had any report that side effects from the medication would stop them taking it,' Bradshaw said. The Melbourne Sexual Health Centre has already changed its protocols and are now treating both partners when BV is detected, Bradshaw added. For health professionals and couples interested in treating both partners, the research team is developing a website that provides detailed information on male partner treatment. 'Changes in national and international treatment guidelines always take time, so we felt an obligation to provide accurate online and downloadable information,' Bradshaw said.
CNN
05-03-2025
- Health
- CNN
Common vaginal condition is really an STD, study finds
A common but potentially dangerous vaginal infection that affects nearly 1 in 3 women globally should be considered a sexually transmitted disease, a new study says. Bacterial vaginosis, or BV, is currently viewed as a woman's issue, thus leaving the sexual partner untreated. 'I started getting them quite recurrently. I'd go to doctors and get treated with antibiotics, and it would almost always come back,' said Hanae, a woman who participated in the clinical trial on BV conducted in Melbourne, Australia. 'It's like not really worth it for me to even go to doctors,' said Hanae, whose last name was withheld by the study authors to protect her privacy. For half of all women with bacterial vaginosis, the infection returns after completion of a week of antibiotics, the preferred medical treatment for BV, said first author Lenka Vodstrcil, a senior research fellow at the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre at Monash University in Australia. 'The bacteria that cause BV can be located in men, especially in penile skin and also in the urethra,' Vodstrcil said in a news release. 'This suggests that BV is probably sexually transmitted, and that is why so many women get it back again after treatment.' When BV was treated as a sexually transmitted disease, with both partners receiving oral antibiotics and men using topical creams, the recurrence rate dropped by over half, according to the study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. '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 a STI (sexually transmitted infection),' said senior author Catriona Bradshaw in an email. Bradshaw is a professor at the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre at Monash University. A potentially dangerous infection Symptoms of BV can include itching, pain while urinating, an odd odor and a thin, white vaginal discharge. For some women, however, BV is a silent predator, attacking without such telltale symptoms. If left untreated, bacterial vaginosis can increase the risk of acquiring HIV as well as sexually transmitted infections, according to the World Health Organization. Women with BV can also develop an infection in the fallopian tubes, ovaries or uterus called pelvic inflammatory disease, the WHO states on its website. Such infections can lead to later infertility, experts say. 'We see very significant changes in a range of inflammatory markers, inflammatory cells and bacterial enzymes and products that result in damage to the epithelium — the lining of the reproductive tract,' Bradshaw said. Bacterial vaginosis is especially dangerous during pregnancy. The infection can lead to premature birth, spontaneous abortion and low birth weight in the baby, according to the WHO. It's time for a 'paradigm shift' in treatment The randomized clinical trial of 164 monogamous couples was conducted at multiple centers in Australia. In 81 of the couples, both partners were treated with seven days of oral antibiotics. During that time, the male partner also used a topical antibiotic on their penis twice a day. In accordance with current recommended treatment, only the woman in the other 83 couples was treated with an oral antibiotic. While the study only treated heterosexual couples, it's 'important to note that women in same sex relationships also transmit BV bacteria between each other during sex, and that these same sex couples in monogamous relationships have very high rates of concordance for BV — both have it or both don't have it,' Bradshaw said. The trial was meant to last for 12 weeks, but researchers stopped it early when it was quickly apparent that treating both partners reduced BV occurrence by 60%. Viewing such a common vaginal infection as a sexually transmitted disease would be a 'paradigm shift' and would require doctors to encourage a woman's male partner to share responsibility for transmission and treatment, according to an editorial published alongside the study. 'It will also require a willingness of male partners to commit to taking both oral and topical medications, once notified by their female partner that she has bacterial vaginosis and that it is probably sexually transmitted,' wrote Dr. Christina Muzny and Dr. Jack Sobel, who were not involved in the new research. Muzny is a professor of infectious disease at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Sobel is a professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit. Men in the study had no problem completing the course of oral and topical antibiotics, with few to no side effects, the study found. 'We have now used this medication in close to 300 men and we have not had any report that side effects from the medication would stop them taking it,' Bradshaw said. The Melbourne Sexual Health Centre has already changed its protocols and are now treating both partners when BV is detected, Bradshaw added. For health professionals and couples interested in treating both partners, the research team is developing a website that provides detailed information on male partner treatment. 'Changes in national and international treatment guidelines always take time, so we felt an obligation to provide accurate online and downloadable information,' Bradshaw said.
The Guardian
05-03-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
‘Paradigm shift': Australian researchers discover key to treatment of bacterial vaginosis
Like almost one in three women, Hanae has developed bacterial vaginosis (BV) – a condition when the normal healthy bacteria in the vagina are replaced by an overgrowth of other mixed bacteria. When she got it for first time in 2021, she took the standard treatment of antibiotics, only for the condition to come back weeks later. 'It came back time and time again, no matter how many times I got antibiotic treatment,' said Hanae, who lives in Melbourne. 'I thought there was something wrong with me.' The BV came back roughly every three months, affecting her confidence and the relationship she was in at the time, 'creating a barrier between us'. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Hanae and her current partner were part of a new study, which has found BV is sexually transmitted between partners – despite not being classified as a sexually transmitted disease. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine alongside an editorial, showed there is more than double the rate of women being cured of BV if their male partner is treated at the same time. Researchers had thought BV was an STI years ago, but a number of trials in the 80s and 90s did not find treating a man alongside his female partner was effective. Prof Catriona Bradshaw, of Monash University's Melbourne Sexual Health Centre said those studies were taken 'as very conclusive evidence that bacterial vaginosis wasn't sexually transmitted'. 'The key thing is that all previous trials had only tried oral antibiotics, and oral antibiotics should work quite well for BV bugs inside the urethra, but no one had tried a topical antibiotic on the skin to also get rid of the bugs on the skin of the penis. 'This was our hypothesis.' Bradshaw together with her colleagues at Monash University and Alfred Health studied 164 monogamous heterosexual couples where the pre-menopausal woman had BV. The trial ran from April 2019 through November 2023 across two sexual health services and three family-planning services in three states. The couples were randomly assigned to two groups – one where both the male and female partner were treated, and one control group where only the female partner received treatment. The researchers ensured there was equal representation in each group of women using an intrauterine device (IUD) and uncircumcised males – both of which have been linked with an increased risk of BV. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Women in each group received the same treatment of oral antibiotics, while men in the partner treatment group received oral antibiotics taken twice daily for seven days, and an anti-bacterial cream over that period. Researchers then followed up with the couples regularly for 12 weeks to establish how effective their intervention was in curing BV. BV recurred in 24 of 69 women (35%) in the partner-treatment group, and in 43 of 68 women (63%) in the control group. Bradshaw said the results of the study are 'a big paradigm shift. It's proven sexual transmission of BV.' Bradshaw acknowledges that while reinfection with BV bacteria from male partners may be responsible for recurrence in many women, there were some women who weren't cured. Antibiotics might not have worked for women with a dense biofilm – the biological tissue of the vaginal microbiome – or with an IUD, which the bacteria coats, making it harder for antibiotics to clear, Bradshaw said. Further strategies need to be developed for these women, such as a longer courses of antibiotics, she said. The editorial also noted that 14% of the men in the intervention group reported taking less than 70% of their prescribed doses of medication, 'an early signal that male partner buy-in could be challenging in some situations'. Bradshaw said that the cure rates in women whose male partners were 100% adherent to the tablets and the cream were far higher. The authors acknowledged a limitation of the study was that the participants largely included people attending sexual health centres, which may reflect a higher-risk population. Prof Rebecca Guy from the Kirby Institute's Sexual Health Program said this was the 'first study to show sustained and substantial benefit for a common and debilitating vaginal infection'. 'It also provides evidence for sexual transmission of the bacteria that causes bacterial vaginosis.' Guy said the findings will inform clinical guidelines and new clinical protocols on treatment of the condition. 'Success will rely on strategies to ensure high treatment cooperation rates among male partners, as achieved in the trial.'
