Treatment Overview
Treatment options for
bacterial vaginosis include:
- Watchful
waiting. In about 1 out of 4 women, bacterial
vaginosis symptoms resolve on their own.1 This happens
when the vaginal lactobacilli organisms increase to their normal levels, and
other bacteria levels drop.
- Antibiotic medication (oral
or vaginal). Antibiotics can kill the problem bacteria causing bacterial
vaginosis symptoms but sometimes don't reverse the underlying cause. Therefore,
symptoms recur in about 1 out of 3 of
women after antibiotic treatment.2
For some women, bacterial vaginosis goes away
without treatment. But, when it does not go away even with treatment,
bacterial vaginosis is frustrating and troublesome. And, it can lead to preterm
labor if you have it during pregnancy. If present
during pelvic surgery or invasive vaginal procedures, bacterial
vaginosis makes the reproductive tract vulnerable to infection or inflammation,
which has been linked to such problems as
pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).5 Therefore, your health professional will test and treat you
with antibiotics for bacterial vaginosis if you are:
- Having persistent symptoms.
- Pregnant and have symptoms.
- Pregnant with
no symptoms, but have a history of preterm labor (before 37 completed weeks of
pregnancy) that may have been related to infection.7
- Planning to have a
hysterectomy or surgical
abortion. Treating bacterial vaginosis with antibiotics beforehand
greatly lowers your risk of getting a serious
infection afterward. Other procedures linked to bacterial vaginosis-related
infection include
endometrial biopsy,
intrauterine device (IUD) placement,
cesarean section,
dilation and curettage (D&C), and
hysterosalpingography, an X-ray test that examines the
inside of the uterus, the fallopian tubes, and surrounding area.
5
Talk to your health professional about whether screening is right
for you.
What To Think About
If you are planning to become pregnant and have a history or
symptoms of bacterial vaginosis, talk to your health professional about
screening and treatment before you start a pregnancy.
For decades, some women have used Lactobacillus acidophilus in yogurt or supplements to treat
bacterial vaginosis. However, experts now know that dairy lactobacillus is not
the kind that normally lives in the vagina. This is why dairy lactobacillus
does not work for bacterial vaginosis. But, researchers have found that two
different types of lactobacillus—L. crispatus and
L. jensenii—are most commonly found in a healthy vaginal
environment. Research is now focusing on using these types of
lactobacilli in capsules.8
If your health professional finds other problems during the exam,
such as a possible
sexually transmitted disease (STD), appropriate
treatment will be recommended.
Since it probably is not passed
between a man and woman, treating a
male sex partner or partners will not help cure bacterial
vaginosis.5 But, for a woman with
a female sex partner, it is possible that bacterial vaginosis is passed back
and forth, although this is not yet proven. In this case, treating both
partners may help.