The secret to treating bacterial vaginosis? Men
A new study has found that Bacterial vaginosis (BV), a common vaginal infection, is less likely to recur when male partners are treated, too.
Previous research showed that the infection was more common in women that were sexually active, and even more common in women who stayed with the same sexual partner; but it wasn’t viewed as a sexually transmitted infection. That’s changing now.
It’s likely infections kept coming back in monogamous couples because partners were unknowingly passing the bacteria back and forth, even after the woman received treatment. Dr. Lenka Vodstrcil, one of the lead researchers on the study, said that BV, “Has been dismissed as an infection you go home and deal with yourself for so long.” Many women didn’t know why their infections kept recurring. Now, there’s a solution. Using an antibiotic cream on the penis as well as an oral antibiotic for men.
Most men don’t experience symptoms of BV, but they do carry the bacteria. “Female partners of men who are circumcised have lower rates of BV. The skin is the second reservoir where BV bacteria can live, as well as in the urethra tube,” Vodstrcil said. Now that we know BV is a sexually transmitted infection, there’s hope for better treatment of recurrent infections.
Right now, there’s no test for BV for men. But people with male genitalia can still be active in stopping the spread. If you’re a woman with BV in a monogamous relationship, it’s important to talk to your partner about your sexual health. “We all share good and bad bacteria during sex,” Vodstrcil explains. Having both partners treated in a relationship can help keep both partners healthy.
If you have multiple steady partners, Vodstrcil says it’s worth discussing everybody getting treated. If your partners are more casual, “Like all STIs, using barriers and informing partners when you have an infection are good tools to stop the spread.”
Vodstrcil and her team are developing resources and tools to help improve treatment based on their research. “You can use these resources to talk to your partners, your doctor, or your pharmacist about treatment.” Even though the cream used to treat the infection topically is labeled as “vaginal cream”, Vodstrcil says it’s, “Perfectly safe to use on male skin.”
One thing Vodstrcil said delighted her about the study was how supportive the women’s partners were. She heard stories from male participants like, “‘I had this with my last girlfriend or ex-wife, and now it makes sense to me’… those anecdotes make me feel like what we’re doing is important and will impact people’s lives.”
