Clinical trial finds partner treatment cuts bacterial vaginosis and points to sexual transmission

A clinical trial published this year in The New England Journal of Medicine followed 150 heterosexual couples in which the female partner had bacterial vaginosis. Researchers treated the women with first-line antibiotics and treated half the men with both oral and topical antibiotics; within three months partner treatment was so effective the study was disbanded so all participants could be treated.

The investigators concluded that B.V. could be transmitted via sex and should be treated like a sexually transmitted infection. For decades gynecologists treated B.V. as a vagina-only problem even though the bacteria associated with the condition can be found on the penis. B.V. is cited in the article as the most common vaginal infection worldwide — people with a vagina have about a one-in-three chance of having it — and more than half of patients experience recurrence within six months of treatment.

The condition can cause irritation and discharge, worsen pregnancy outcomes and make it easier to acquire H.I.V., herpes or another S.T.I., a burden the article says falls disproportionately on Black women and other women of color. The trial has already prompted practice changes: the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists advised members to offer treatment for male partners of patients with persistent B.V., California recommended providers treat male partners, and New York City said its sexual health clinics will treat male partners as well.

Key Topics

Health, Bacterial Vaginosis, Partner Treatment, Gardnerella Vaginalis, California, New York City